Summer Mercato

[Gabriel489]

600 pages and new players for Milan are Antonini, Abbiati, Zambrotta, Flamini, Borreillo, R10 and Abate.
Out are Serginho, Cafu, Gourcuff, Gila and Ronaldo.

Hopefully for another 100 pages, Brocchi, Favalli, and Simic will be gone.

[Giancarlo]

600 pages and new players for Milan are Antonini, Abbiati, Zambrotta, Flamini, Borreillo, R10 and Abate.
Out are Serginho, Cafu, Gourcuff, Gila and Ronaldo.

Hopefully for another 100 pages, Brocchi, Favalli, and Simic will be gone.

Yeah one can always hope. Hopefully we'd sell Brocchi to Fiorentina and Simic to another club (Celtic I hear is interested)... that means we would have some money for another transfer... heheh...

I have my fingers crossed for just one more transfer!

[hitmannq8]

--------------------- DIDA -------------------

ZAMBROTTA -- NESTA ----- KALADZE -- JANKU

------------ PIRLO ------ FLAMINI ------------

PATO ------------- KAKA --------- RONALDINHO

------------- SUPER PIPPO INZAGHI ----------


I think Pippo could score a hat-trick every game! However, we obviously know that a formation like that wouldn't happen...but in the case Pirlo is injured, just put in Gattuso in there and we got ourselves a new solution when Pirlo is unavailable. Let's not forget Ambrosini and Emerson too ;) up front there's also Boriello and Paloschi and maybe even Sheva..

omg I cant believe this... its sooo wierd that we have options!!! honestly feels great! I think we are good the way we are but bringing Fabio Cannavaro would make get us the treble IMO :D (even with Dida in goal)

my only worry is our 3 full-backs. Janku and Oddo do not impress me, but Zambro I admire alot.. I just hope it will be the same Zambro I used to know before.

[forward]

now that its OFFICIAL, and we can all say

:devf: FORZA RONALDINHO :devf:

any AC Milan fan must throw a drinking party tonight! let the beer flow!

[dejan.s]

Welcome Ronaldinho :5schal:
I wish you 3 Scudettos, 1 UEFA Cup and 2 Champions League trophies :p283:

Now when we signed our target, will we start Winter Mercato thread? :510:

[Giovanni]

Giancarlo, i don't think we need another striker. Considering we play just the Scudetto and Uefa, the current striker force is enough.
As i said before the Mercato started, our new team will be built up in two seasons, not one.

[Siregar]

I dont think the current force is enough if we look at back season 07/08. Our main problem : we couldn't score AND we couldnt defend well. Many games (against small clubs and also big clubs like Juve, Inter, Roma), which we should win them (with solid defence), were gone.

My hope, we will still sign a DC, Mexes or Zapata. Kaladze was shaky too oftenly in the back line.

[Giovanni]

I dont think the current force is enough if we look at back season 07/08. Our main problem : we couldn't score AND we couldnt defend well. Many games (against small clubs and also big clubs like Juve, Inter, Roma), which we should win them (with solid defence), were gone.

My hope, we will still sign a DC, Mexes or Zapata. Kaladze was shaky too oftenly in the back line.

If another striker arrives, Borriello leaves. Therefore, the number of strikers will always be the same.
You can't add players on players just for the sake of it, or you'll get turmoil in the dressing room.

[kawiki]

Please galliani, buy 1 other CB... just 1 will do

zapata, kompany, or some promising youngster from brazil

[Siregar]

If another striker arrives, Borriello leaves. Therefore, the number of strikers will always be the same.
You can't add players on players just for the sake of it, or you'll get turmoil in the dressing room.

Sorry, I think I miswrote. I mean by 'force' in my previous post is not the strikers department but I mean it for 'squad'. My mistake (bad english). So what I meant : "I dont think the current squad is enough etc..)"

My concern in my previous post is defence not striker. I also think our striker is enough as R10 is a AM/forward.

[Gabriel489]

If I Live In An Ideal World, This Will Happen
Milan Will Sell Dida, Brocchi, Janku, Emerson, Kaladaze. Favalli, Simic And Seedorf
Milan Will Then Buy Or Call Back, Buffon, Mazarrotti(rb Or Cb), Zapata, Abate. Gourcuff, Hernanes, Sammarco, And Grosso.

But I Don't So I Only Hope For Anohter Cb(highly Unlikely) As Galli Thinks Kaldaze Is World Class, He Is Solid But Thats Only B/c Of Nesta.

[Jim_UK]

Paloschi has asked for a loan, so hopefully he'll go to a team where he can get some regular playing time.

Now we have Ronaldinho (medical permitting), i wonder how Boriello will react. If he does get stroppy and decide to go because of competition (or if Ancelotti doesn't trust him), then i think if we can find a buyer we will still go for Adebayor. Just a thought.

Essentially, our next priorities are the spine of the team: GK, CB, (LB), FW. If Ronaldinho does start rewarding us financially, then we should be in a position to buy all these players next summer.

If not then start approaching businesses to sound out some investors, we only need about £50 million from them :D

[Giovanni]

Sorry, I think I miswrote. I mean by 'force' in my previous post is not the strikers department but I mean it for 'squad'. My mistake (bad english). So what I meant : "I dont think the current squad is enough etc..)"

My concern in my previous post is defence not striker. I also think our striker is enough as R10 is a AM/forward.

Ok, but considering the effort that the management is doing, and considering the missed income of 30-50 M from CL, i think this team and market go way over my first expectations.
I wonder how many clubs which do the UEFA can afford such market campaign.

And Dinho's signing will pay off in a couple of seasons just in terms of marketing and revenue. I' already read, on Juve and Roma boards, that many of their fans will watch the Milan games for Dinho.

[Siregar]

Kaladze is a solid DC but his problem in last season is that he couldnt play well consistently. If he is in his top form (like when he got the regular DC for the first time 2-3 seasons ago), I still choose him over Bonera.

[Giovanni]

Now we have Ronaldinho (medical permitting), i wonder how Boriello will react. If he does get stroppy and decide to go because of competition (or if Ancelotti doesn't trust him), then i think if we can find a buyer we will still go for Adebayor. Just a thought.


Some rumours say that Borriello was told since the day of his contract signing of a possible arrive of Ronaldinho.
And i think R10 doesn't really bother Borriello. I think he bothers Seedorf.

[Jim_UK]

Some rumours say that Borriello was told since the day of his contract signing of a possible arrive of Ronaldinho.
And i think R10 doesn't really bother Borriello. I think he bothers Seedorf.

Not directly, but if we play Ronaldinho & Kaka then that limits the strikers to just 1 spot. It all depends on where Ancelotti sees Boriello in the pecking order, if all 3 strikers are fit and Pato & Inzaghi are always ahead of him then i don't think he'll stay long.

[Siregar]

Paloschi has asked for a loan, so hopefully he'll go to a team where he can get some regular playing time.

I absolutely agree. He must go (on loan) for his developement. I am sure he will be get many games in small Serie A club. Paloschi is not a Balotelli's or Pato's type but he is a gifted player like Inzaghi. He will be very usefull either from the beginning of the match or as substitute.


Now we have Ronaldinho (medical permitting), i wonder how Boriello will react. If he does get stroppy and decide to go because of competition (or if Ancelotti doesn't trust him), then i think if we can find a buyer we will still go for Adebayor. Just a thought.

Essentially, our next priorities are the spine of the team: GK, CB, (LB), FW. If Ronaldinho does start rewarding us financially, then we should be in a position to buy all these players next summer.

If not then start approaching businesses to sound out some investors, we only need about £50 million from them :D

I dont think we can buy Ade if we sell Boriello as Boriello wont be first team player IF R10 can get his fitnes level back. So, in my opinion if we sell Boriello we will buy a striker that can and want to sit on the bench.

In this stage, I do prefer Gila to Boriello as Gila is a better type of big striker (phisically). Still I hope we will buy a big striker (ideal one is Ade, realistic one is unfamous/cheap striker who doesnt mind to play from the bench).

I am still ok with our GK's. If Kalac plays like last season, he will be our number one if Dida fails to get his top performance but somehow I feel Dida will get his top form. :D
So, we can spend money for GK next year.

The same goes to fullback(s). Zambrotta, Bonera, Oddo, Favalli plus Antonini are still OK for me.

[Giovanni]

Not directly, but if we play Ronaldinho & Kaka then that limits the strikers to just 1 spot. It all depends on where Ancelotti sees Boriello in the pecking order, if all 3 strikers are fit and Pato & Inzaghi are always ahead of him then i don't think he'll stay long.

I think Borriello is the kind of striker that may be useful in many Serie A games. He will get his fair share of games.
Carlo will give the bench players a chance to shine in UEFA, which is our second target. Not bad at all, for players like Marco.
I don't agree with Siregar, IMO Borriello is the better first striker compared to Gila. The last Gila could just pass the ball back. Borriello is more powerful, has better shot and heading abilities. Gila could just hold the ball well, and Marco has much more personality than Alberto.

[Jim_UK]

I think Borriello is the kind of striker that may be useful in many Serie A games. He will get his fair share of games.
Carlo will give the bench players a chance to shine in UEFA, which is our second target. Not bad at all, for players like Marco.
I don't agree with Siregar, IMO Borriello is the better first striker compared to Gila. The last Gila could just pass the ball back. Borriello is more powerful, has better shot and heading abilities. Gila could just hold the ball well, and Marco has much more personality than Alberto.

I've no problem with Boriello staying, indeed i'd make him our number 1 striker if we only play with 1 up front.

He also has 1 thing Gilardino doesn't have alot of right now and that's confidence.

[Gabriel489]

People here always ask for big target man or powerful striker.
TO me, Borreillo is just that, he might not be as tall as Ade but make no mistake Borreillo is strong. Just look at his build, he is not a skinny people, he is pretty thick and wide.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see Ade at Milan too but come to think of it, both Ade and Borreillo just had a great season and I just don't see why people including Carlo are writing Borreillo out while making Ade as the next big thing.

[catennacio]

dinho is done, now we need more defenders.. come on 2 centre backs and another wing back will do good.. oh another gk too.

[Giovanni]

3000 season tickets just this morning. Incredible.

[_Ace]

3000 season tickets just this morning. Incredible.

:haha:

so it is true, Ronaldinho=Money :D

[Vulli]

dinho is done, now we need more defenders.. come on 2 centre backs and another wing back will do good.. oh another gk too.

2 defenders??! I will be very SATISFIED with just one CB

[Vulli]

What do you think what number Dinho will have ? I hope to see him with # 10 but is unlikely, what do you think ??

[Siregar]

He will get 10. Last year Kaka deserved that number after Rui Costa had left.

[Gabriel489]

R10 will become R11
Thats what I think, as Gila left

[Jim_UK]

3000 season tickets just this morning. Incredible.

How many season tickets were sold last year? I think it was around 40,000 or something like that. It'll be interesting to compare the numbers and see how much of a positive impact he'll have on our attendances.

[rinogattuso]

Galliani said that we are goingg for Zapata!!

[Giovanni]

I've just seen a video on italian telly, which shows Ronaldinho getting off the private airplane, signing authographs for the stewards (!) and getting welcomed by Leonardo.
He landed at 1 pm , therefore 25 minutes ago.

[rinogattuso]

'Dinho is in San Siro in Milan shirt he is little overweigt 2 or 3 kilos,nothing much..whith Braida and Galliani!!

[kris]

dinho is done, now we need more defenders.. come on 2 centre backs and another wing back will do good.. oh another gk too.

We only need one centre back and are full on the fullback side.

[e-Milan]

Galliani said that we are goingg for Zapata!!

oh my ! where did u got the news from ?

[Siregar]

Photos from R10 (up to date)anyone?

[_Ace]

they should be available soon on acmilan.com I guess

[rinogattuso]

oh my ! where did u got the news from ?

MilanChanel!!

[mrki]

HELLO PEOPLE!!!!!!!

i followed closely of course. from Gazzetta and so on... And this is incredible news and a great day for ac Milan!! We have signed one of the best players in football history, and he is ( in my oppinion ) ready for new good period after just small amount of training. 2-3 kilos and a bit off form can be sloved in one month. Its not the same situation as with Ronaldo, Ronaldo was seriousely injured, Dinho is not at all.

Thin I would like to say is that now we have god an extre player in Seedorf who will play smaller ammount of games and will play with more quality now. Our midfield is now absoultely super strong, never stronger: Pirlo, Rino, Ambro, Flamini, Seedorf, KAka',Dinho...

About Zapata, it would be increbidile, and if Galliani says they will go for him then it MIGHt be true :) Abate will most likely g on loan and there for we could use a player like Zapata ( can also cover RB ).

FORZA RAGAZZI!! Enjoy the summer!!!

[regin]

galliani owns the transfer market..Lol

[Aficio]

Wow, what a season to looking for ^^

[Vulli]

MILAN CHANNEL RONALDINHO UFFICIALE AL MILAN !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AecPlPuN_0U

:3band: :3band: :3band:

[drucurl]

...now if we could please get a LB :guw:

[hany.Egypt]

GK first, because Kalac is useless and Dida will never be a starter again.
any way I cant aske Galliani for any new players after Dinho, if Galliani doesnot want to sign any one I wont complain he is the boss and he's always right.

[_Ace]

...now if we could please get a LB :guw:

we dont need to as long as Oddo re-learns how to cross :D

besides we have Favalli, remember? :guw:

[_MaJi_tz]

Galliani said that we are goingg for Zapata!!

where link pls

[Vulli]

RONALDINHO SALUTA BARCELLONA IN ARRIVO AL MILAN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKWG_lXmFdc

[Vulli]

Ronaldinho ~ New Season , New Club !! AC MILAN HERE I COME !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XsExG2FyMc

[Russo-Neri]

Does anyone have a link to Galliani saying we're after Zapata? Or is that just someone's wishful thinking???

[_Ace]

I can give you a link where Galliani says our summer mercato is over...

acmilan.com that would be ;)

[_MaJi_tz]

MILANELLO - During the press conference of presentation, Adriano Galliani explained that 'Milan's transfer campaign is finished with Ronaldinho. Paloschi, Abate, and Simic might leave. But there will be no more new arrivals, absolutely.' | |

[Giancarlo]

Some rumours say that Borriello was told since the day of his contract signing of a possible arrive of Ronaldinho.
And i think R10 doesn't really bother Borriello. I think he bothers Seedorf.

I really do think we need another striker... but on the subject of Borriello. Ronaldinho is a playmaker, not a strker. Borriello shouldn't feel like he is under more competition. If we were to get another striker he would be.

I feel that we still need another striker... Inzaghi can't play all the time. But if this is it, this still has been a satisfying transfer season, and perhaps the best in Italy hands down.

[Giancarlo]

MILANELLO - During the press conference of presentation, Adriano Galliani explained that 'Milan's transfer campaign is finished with Ronaldinho. Paloschi, Abate, and Simic might leave. But there will be no more new arrivals, absolutely.' | |

Well in that case, lets keep Simic and Paloschi. Abate can be loaned out.

[Mr. Anonymous]

Does anyone have a link to Galliani saying we're after Zapata? Or is that just someone's wishful thinking???

No, I think that's it!

Galiani has said the mercato is shut!:(

[Giancarlo]

No, I think that's it!

Galiani has said the mercato is shut!:(

That's fine. We have a great squad as it stands, and I expect Paloschi to stay... so there is no need for anything more right now... though I was wishing maybe... but it is understandable. We have increased the depth of our squad immensely... and our transfer season has been better than our rivals (even though they qualified for the CL, and we didn't). We should be pleased.

[Siregar]

RONALDINHO SALUTA BARCELLONA IN ARRIVO AL MILAN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKWG_lXmFdc

Man, this what I really expect! Great stuff mate! I really appreciate it!

Many thanks!

[Mr. Anonymous]

I really do think we need another striker... but on the subject of Borriello. Ronaldinho is a playmaker, not a strker. Borriello shouldn't feel like he is under more competition. If we were to get another striker he would be.

I feel that we still need another striker... Inzaghi can't play all the time. But if this is it, this still has been a satisfying transfer season, and perhaps the best in Italy hands down.

You seem to think Boriello is a good signing. So I don't think you want to get rid of him. Therefore he and Pato would have to share time already as the main strikers. Then theres Pippo & Paloschi.

Paloschi already wants to leave because he thinks he's not gonna have enough playing time.

Without Boriello definately...but with him, getting another world class striker could be a little over board.

[Giancarlo]

You seem to think Boriello is a good signing. So I don't think you want to get rid of him. Therefore he and Pato would have to share time already as the main strikers. Then theres Pippo & Paloschi.

Paloschi already wants to leave because he thinks he's not gonna have enough playing time.

Without Boriello definately...but with him, getting another world class striker could be a little over board.

I just said I don't think we will get another striker... and I think Paloschi most certainly should get some playing time... I don't think he should be loaned out. I think Borriello is fine for now and after all he does have something to prove.

My take is this: Keep Paloschi and close the mercato, or loan out Paloschi and get another striker.

Either one is fine by me. :)

[forward]

Actually, goal.crap has an interesting series of articles titled "top 10 transfers",
previously Zambrotta and Flamini were the top 2, now I am pretty sure Ronaldinho will join them to give the top 3 to Milan..
we should be pretty satisfied with the transfer season as it is

[GeoTav]

With Ronaldinho coming, we are now sure (or almost 99% sure lol) that we will play 4-3-2-1 ...

Ronaldinho will allow Seedorf to rest, as well as Pirlo (replaced by Seedorf for example) and Kaka' !! If Ancelotti does a good turnover, it could be awesome as the guys could be almost always at 100% physically.

And if we play 4-3-2-1, we don't need any new striker except if we sell/loan one because we have for moment Pato, Inzaghi (for very important games), Borriello and Paloschi (could be our joker if needed, and he will be needed for sure).

And sincerely, if our "new" striker has to be Sheva, I'd rather give a new chance to Borriello and keep Paloschi instead of taking Shevchenko.

[Siregar]

“It has been a unique summer but we will be competitive on all fronts next year with Gianluca Zambrotta, Mathieu Flamini, Ronaldinho and Marco Borriello.

“We have so many options now and we have a nice mix of youth and experience. With Kaka and Dinho in hand I can come up with some new tactics.”


I am so happy to read it. I will wait for what tactic he will use.

[Siregar]

Paloschi should ge. He needs games LOTS. I am still sure Palo will have chances in Milan but still he needs more than that.

Simic could also go, so we can push Darmian as our backup for DC (not only register for roster like last season).

Abate, just like he said, will go. He is still so young to compete to our midfielders.

[kris]

No, I think that's it!

Galiani has said the mercato is shut!:(

he said that about ten times before we bought Nesta. Hell he said it this year before Ronaldinho too.

Paloschi should be loaned out, he need playing time.

[Vulli]

RONALDINHO PIRMA INTERVISTA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3ESXz3LwLk

[Gabriel489]

WEll a swap of Simic for Zapata is something I won't complain.

[ARIO]

Fingered crossed.......we are still on a defender......

in the mean time.....

---------------------Dida
ZAMBROTTA-----Nesta----Kaladze-----Jankulovski
--------------------Pirlo
----------Gattuso----------FLAMINI
---------RONALDINHO------Kaka
------------------BORRIELLO

FORZA MILAN!!!!

[Vulli]

I think we need desperately a CB (Zapata) and maybe a Striker I think we could bring back Sheva on loan, what do you think ?

[ARIO]

No more striker....we already have Pato, Inzaghi and Borriello.... Kaka also a "striker"
plus we are not competing in the Champions League, i guess we are not going to splash huge cash to pay Shev's salary.
Zapata would be a nice....very nice addition though

[t.gianni]

We don't need a CB because we have Nesta, Kaladze and Bonera for that role. All three are capable of being first team players. We don't need a striker either because in the 4321 formation we will be using only one striker at a time. We already have 4 strikers on the roster. I admit that our strikers aren't the best in the world (or at least ATM) but the 2 great CAMs make up for that void.

There is possibility that Paloschi might be loaned out for a season but even then I don't think we will striker. 3 strikers rotating for one spot is enough. If we have to play 4312 then Kaka can move forward and play as a striker.

[Hasan Rossonero]

If I were Milan I would pick up Crespo and pay him a wage of 2 million euros max. He would be a useful sub.

If I could afford it, I would make Zapata my priority.

[Giancarlo]

Honestly lets be realistic, the transfer season is over. We have the players we need and the squad was appropriately reinforced. Anymore will come later.

[Bosniaco]

Its agreat that we have signed Dinho. I think Kaka should get the #10 he is a real hero for Milan and deserves the #10 shirt. Seedorf should take Gourcuffs numaber and Dinho can get #11.

[Giovanni]

Seedorf isn't going to release the n.10. It's almost a certainty.

[Warro Bantan]

Seedorf isn't going to release the n.10. It's almost a certainty. I dont doubt that for a minute, though its sure to be a headache for Nike!!
:eekani:

[Nalx]

Leave the headache to Nike and Carletto :)

[brk]

The great thing about the Ronaldinho signing is that it allows for an alternative to our dependence on Pirlo. Someone a few pages back suggested this:

GK

Zambro, Nesta, Kala, Janku

Flamini, Gattuso

Pato, Kaka, Ronaldinho

Borriello.


This works. Its a typical 4231, same as Roma and most teams at the Euros. Its a great system. I hope Ancelotti finally realises that you can't replace Pirlo with any other player, like Brocchi, or Seedorf, and expect them to hold the team together. He's irreplaceable. Ronaldinho gives us this different option, and I hope to see it tried out in a friendly before he leaves for Beijing. Should be interesting.

[Giovanni]

Maybe they could invent the n.10+ or the n. 9+1

[Ryo]

Why in the world is everyone saying Kaka should get the #10???

He chose his #22, its his fave number, and his birthdate to boot :P
Why would he want to change that all now????


Oh, referring back to my post like 30 some pages back.....

Can we talk about the Ka-Pa-Ro Mk.II now? :D

[Siregar]

Yeah Ryo, I absolutely agree. Kaka has made an image of number 22, just like Pirlo has done (If I am not mistaken, Cigarini's number is 21 or is it Montolivo?).

Seedorf has to give the number as he took it that number last season because he asked for it, not given directly after Rui Costa decided to go.

[Jeff]

Honestly lets be realistic, the transfer season is over. We have the players we need and the squad was appropriately reinforced. Anymore will come later.

I don't think our defense is yet strong enough honestly...

[Milano84]

dunno if someone posted this earlier....

7/16/2008 1:23 PM
Galliani: No More Milan Signings
Milan general manager Adriano Galliani has confirmed that the club will be signing no more players this summer following the capture of Ronaldinho last night.

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The Rossoneri have been one of the busiest side’s on the transfer market this pre-season, making a number of high profile signings, including Mathieu Flamini from Arsenal, Gianluca Zambrotta from Barcelona, Marco Borriello from Genoa, and last of all Ronaldinho.

The Brazilian superstar finally completed his transfer to the San Siro last night, and Galliani has confirmed that he will be the last player to join the club in 2008.

“Milan's transfer campaign is finished with Ronaldinho,” said Galliani.

“Paloschi, Abate, and Simic might leave. But there will be no more new arrivals, absolutely.”

Youngster Alberto Paloschi will almost certainly leave on a loan deal, as will Italy Under-21 star Ignazio Abate.

Dario Simic could be sold permanently, having struggled to play regularly over the past few seasons.

Roberto Rossi
--------------

WHO IS SHOCKED!??!?!!?

[Milano84]

i wonder how seedorf will react. we all know he is volitile. Has he said anything? Should he leave we definately need a replacement there....

[Giancarlo]

I don't think our defense is yet strong enough honestly...

I think it's fine. As I said I'd like to have one more signing, but that's not realistic.

[Milano84]

I think it's fine. As I said I'd like to have one more signing, but that's not realistic.

yeah u never know though. sale of simic and brocchi (for example) could fund 1 more defender...

[Giancarlo]

yeah u never know though. sale of simic and brocchi (for example) could fund 1 more defender...

Possibly. But hey you're right. Galliani has said a lot of contradicting things.

Maybe we will have room for one more player. But it's going to have to be a small signing...

If you could pick one more player, who would it be?

Personally for me Zapata... as far as the defense.

For some reason I think we might get someone just around the time of the Olympics... I think Fiorentina would be fine with having Brocchi back perhaps on a complete basis and not just a loan. And Simic can be sold to Celtic...

The goalkeeper? I think Abbiati is fine for now... though we should consider investing in a young keeper in the future.

[kris]

I don't think our defense is yet strong enough honestly...

It could see some improvements for sure, I named alex and Zapata. Anyway, we could wait until next season when we will play in UCL again. Possibly we get that new striker too then, especially since then we can judge how Borriello fares.

[Milano84]

i agree our squad size is full....so no new players will come without some leaving. which is fine. you dont want a chelsea like situation w/ 30 players and unrest on playing time....if i had my way 1 GK, simic, favalli, brocchi gone. perhaps keep abate, a D and gk. As i see it... we still havent gotten what we were promised (7-8 new signings)... we brugh ronaldinho, flamini, zambrotta, borriello, abbiati, antonini.

Who knows though, i know milan rated darmian high, as they havent loaned him out. Does anyone else have an opinion on him???
I know albertazzi is suppose to be a future defender... he just turned 17 though (geez born in 91, seems so recent)

[Milano84]

isnt alex a chelsea player? I love his ridiculous runs up the middle..... him and pepe, most attack minded CB's ive seen LOL

[Roche13]

Milan fought hard to nickel and dime Barca. what makes anyone think we will be able to sign Zapata this year.But 2009 just maybe he will come then.

[Giancarlo]

i agree our squad size is full....so no new players will come without some leaving. which is fine. you dont want a chelsea like situation w/ 30 players and unrest on playing time....if i had my way 1 GK, simic, favalli, brocchi gone. perhaps keep abate, a D and gk. As i see it... we still havent gotten what we were promised (7-8 new signings)... we brugh ronaldinho, flamini, zambrotta, borriello, abbiati, antonini.

Who knows though, i know milan rated darmian high, as they havent loaned him out. Does anyone else have an opinion on him???
I know albertazzi is suppose to be a future defender... he just turned 17 though (geez born in 91, seems so recent)

6 out of 7 seems like a pretty good transfer season for me... honestly, I expected half that. So I think management did a pretty good job and filled most promises. But it's just that I do agree... we could use one more defender...

Matteo Darmian? I've been hearing a lot about him, but can't make a judgment. I haven't seen him enough. Maybe he could rise through the ranks once we sell Simic...

You're right though about selling some players. We can't have a bunch of players that sit around on the bench messing up their backs collecting tons of money...

I keep looking at this Ronaldinho deal... and damn Milan really did get a great deal... we totally made Barca look bad.

[Roche13]

One last thing,i must say Juan Laporta is class.He never made it difficult for Ronaldinho and Milan once they meet up this week.Compare him to other Club leaders and you will see what i am talking about.
God forebid if we were dealing with Real,Aresnal,Liverpool or Chelsea all a bunch of cutthroats,who don't care where there players go longs as the price is right.
We might of made Barca. look bad, but it was there way of rewarding Dinho for his memories at Barca.

[Giovanni]

IMO Darmian isn't already mature to play on regular basis, but i reckon they want him to do a bit of school with the senior team.

[hitmannq8]

Ronaldinho has been allowed to go to the Olympics, while Bonera and Kaka have been refused...sigh. I hope this does not create any Kaka-Milan conflicts. Well we all expected Galliani to say no new arrivals, but I'm not sure whether we should believe him or not. We really need a defender, we must try to go for someone. And besides, we still have TWO Non-EU spots available. It might be wise to buy young talents and loan them out or maybe just keep them in the squad.

And didn't I tell you all there was no chance that Milan would go for someone like Adebayor...it was a smokescreen all along. I feel sorry for him, we destroyed his relationship with Wenger lol. Now if doesnt leave to Barca I wonder how will he be treated by the fans.

About Sheva, is there any chance we could still get him? I mean - we do have two non-EU spots available and we still don't have a natural CF. Sheva was the most complete striker in the world, and when he played in the x-mas tree formation he was perfect. Getting him would be useful but I have to say we need a CB more than all.

[HO-YOUNG]

isnt alex a chelsea player? I love his ridiculous runs up the middle..... him and pepe, most attack minded CB's ive seen LOL

Lucio...is more attacking...
We should try to sign Luisao from benfica

[Milano84]

where did u see rinho would go to olympics... no no no... dinho and pato, our attac already starts depleated :-(

[Hasan Rossonero]

where did u see rinho would go to olympics... no no no... dinho and pato, our attac already starts depleated :-(

It's everywhere.

[Hasan Rossonero]

Milan secure Ronaldinho on the cheap as Barcelona pay for ham-fisted exit strategy

· Former world player of year sold for £16.7m
· Manchester City lose out despite much higher bid

* Sid Lowe in Madrid
* The Guardian,
* Wednesday July 16, 2008
* Article history

Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho joins fellow Brazilians Kaka and Alexandre Pato at the San Siro. Photograph: J Lago/AFP

Ronaldinho will sign for Milan today after the Italian club announced last night that they had reached an agreement with the former world player of the year and his current club, Barcelona. He is expected to arrive at their Milanello training complex this afternoon where he will undertake a medical before signing a three-year contract.

The Brazilian will leave Barcelona at 11am, accompanied by his new club's vice-president, Adriano Galliani. His contract is likely to be ready upon their arrival in Italy. Leandro Cantamessa, a lawyer and a Milan director, said yesterday: "There are only certain financial matters but our legal office is already preparing all the necessary papers."

Barcelona have had to settle for a fee of about €21m (£16.7m) for the Brazilian, rising by €4m if various clauses are met. Barcelona said that the agreement in principle was reached thanks to the player "renouncing his right to 15% of the fee". The initial fee represents a €6m increase on Milan's opening offer but is almost £9m less than Manchester City's bid and only a third of the €60m the Rossoneri tabled last summer - a bid rejected as inadequate.

How Barcelona wish they could turn the clock back. Rarely has a club made such a mess of selling its greatest asset and they have dealt with Samuel Eto'o little better. So bad have their tactics been that City's approach actually stood a chance.

Though he was twice Fifa's world player of the year, Ronaldinho's only real suitor for a time was a club that has not won anything since 1976. That is the level at which Barça pitched him - and they would have been delighted to accept City's £25.5m bid. The 28-year-old was reluctant to have his future decided for him but feared he might have to go to City. He waited for another club to ride in and rescue him and Milan, at long last, have done so.

The Milan coach, Carlo Ancelotti, earlier revealed he hoped the 28-year-old would give his side a much-needed lift ahead of the new season. "The important thing is to have champions and Ronaldinho without a doubt is one of them," said Ancelotti.

So keen were Barcelona to offload him and so determined was he to join a big club, even if they had failed to qualify for the Champions League, that they have had to cut their losses and accept Milan's offer. It was understandable that Barcelona were determined to be rid of Ronaldinho. Caught at the centre of a civil war with Eto'o, he became a focus of dressing-room conflict and was seen as a protégé of Sandro Rosell, the former vice-president who left the club after falling out with the president, Joan Laporta, and is now preparing his own bid for power.

When Eto'o launched his infamous attack on Ronaldinho in February 2007 he suggested that his team-mate attended "eight of every 50 training sessions". It was only a slight exaggeration: over the past two seasons the Brazilian attended fewer than half. "Ronaldinho is in the gym" became a running joke and there was no hiding his expanding girth.

But the problem was not that Barcelona wanted him out; it was that their desire became so public. It was Barcelona themselves who leaked stories of a night out 24 hours before a game and whose ham-fisted handling of the Brazilian twice saw him withdraw from the squad on the morning of a match.

Johan Cruyff spent the year attacking him in his newspaper column and it was a club official who publicly admitted that "injured" players - Ronaldinho, Deco and Rafael Márquez - had been ditched, while board members revealed that they no longer saw the Brazilian as "recoverable". Barcelona even revealed that he no longer sold as many shirts as he once did.

The new head coach, Pep Guardiola, then applied the coup de grâce, confirming an open secret: Barcelona no longer wanted Ronaldinho or indeed Eto'o. Never mind the money, we want them out was the message. Their prices fell at a stroke, the number of suitors did too and Barcelona's purchasing power tumbled with them, complicating bids for Emmanuel Adebayor and Alexander Hleb.

Suddenly City stood alone, glimpsing an opportunity handed to them by a club who had turned an auction at Sotheby's into a clearance sale at Poundland. Yesterday Milan ended City's dream but it, like Ronaldinho, was good while it lasted.

--guardian football

[sheva-gila]

I wonder what merdas fans say about R10 to milan can anyone give me a link of any forum please?

[Roche13]

I think Milan will go with let's wait and see approach with there CD,Strikers and GK.If there will be any transfers it will be more than likely in January transfer window.But then again if the team is playing well,why would they change the team chemistry.

[Roche13]

Very interesting article Hasan,hope Dinho makes everyone in Barca. eat there words and comeback to punish everyone who passed him up.

[drucurl]

I wonder what merdas fans say about R10 to milan can anyone give me a link of any forum please?Before we got him they were all excited and after we got him they said that he was old, past it, fat and gay :grinser: (http://forzainterforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=349913)

[atreides602]

Before we got him they were all excited and after we got him they said that he was old, past it, fat and gay :grinser: (http://forzainterforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=349913)

lol that dude who swears at Milan is something , just tell him that he hates us too much,for a guy that thinks inter it's so much better then us :stupid:

[ginoformaggino]

^ does simic still with us? and I'm not sure about darmian and diago either.

What happen with marzoratti?
http://www.acmilan.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=67791

Luca Antonini at Milan, Lino Marzoratti to Empoli.

Well we all expected Galliani to say no new arrivals, but I'm not sure whether we should believe him or not. We really need a defender, we must try to go for someone. And besides, we still have TWO Non-EU spots available. It might be wise to buy young talents and loan them out or maybe just keep them in the squad.


this is a right speech :whie: maybe a south american defender 20-22 y.o.

[Milano84]

i'd be saing that too if we were starting mancini and luis jimenez on the wings (lol, not that they're bad....)

[Milano84]

i think ur right, should we get anyone else they will be south american. we will use our nonEU spots. perhaps thiago silva or alex silva (2 young defenders)

[Blacktop]

If Kalac plays like last season, he will be our number one

Our standards must've hit rock bottom.

[Jeff]

Never trust Gallini. At one point he said R10 wasn't going to come. Oh well...

[Giancarlo]

Ronaldinho has been allowed to go to the Olympics, while Bonera and Kaka have been refused...sigh. I hope this does not create any Kaka-Milan conflicts. Well we all expected Galliani to say no new arrivals, but I'm not sure whether we should believe him or not. We really need a defender, we must try to go for someone. And besides, we still have TWO Non-EU spots available. It might be wise to buy young talents and loan them out or maybe just keep them in the squad.

I don't think there will be any problems. Kaka just got out of a major surgery not too long ago and he understands it would be a risk if he does go. I'm sure he's just happy by the signing of Ronaldinho.

As far as the two non-EU spots, it would be appropriate if we go to Brazil get a few of Kaka's friends to keep him happy...

Thiago Silva is a name I heard a bit... a central defender from Fluminense... or perhaps Alex Silva from Sao Paolo...


About Sheva, is there any chance we could still get him? I mean - we do have two non-EU spots available and we still don't have a natural CF. Sheva was the most complete striker in the world, and when he played in the x-mas tree formation he was perfect. Getting him would be useful but I have to say we need a CB more than all.

Not likely. I think to buy him... why? If we get him on loan does that use one of the non-EU spots available? Or do we have to buy him?

Sheva once was great, but I think age has caught up to him.

Also, as far as the olympics... I think Ronaldinho should be back in time... he may not be there for the first game, but beyond that no problem... this also assumes that Brazil is going to go far... what do you think? Heheh... I'd like to see Brazil perform well, but a part of me says I hope they don't go too far so Ronaldinho can come back sooner.

[Siregar]

Our standards must've hit rock bottom.

Yes, our standards must have hit rock bottom because Kalac COULD BE number one last season! If Dida was not so bad last season, our standard wouldnt have hit rock bottom!

What Kalac needs only performances like last season coz he ONLY needs to compete with Dida and Abbiati. :)

[Giovanni]

Before we got him they were all excited and after we got him they said that he was old, past it, fat and gay :grinser: (http://forzainterforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=349913)

That website made me sick. These guys need a psychiatrist.

[Giancarlo]

That website made me sick. These guys need a psychiatrist.

Yeah totally. And the homophobia is astounding. Some of my friends are gay... does it bother me? No way. Those people on that forum seem to be hiding true feelings... and not only that... I've gone through other threads... some of the most uncivil people I've seen in a while. Immaturity.

[Milano84]

my FAV post on inter forum......


It's fantastic to have Mourinho in Inter and the clown Ronaldinho there, in the barcelona-chelsea wars of years ago i always supported the professionalism, team-play and intelligence of Mourinho instead of the egoism, disloyalty of the overrated and now finished Brazilian.
Next derbi its gonna be great.
--------------------

yes. the WORLD loved boring chelsea and hated one of the most beautifully played teams. God inter fans r like caveman....banging rocks and not understanding electricity

[Milano84]

god there forum looked like a cross between terrorist network and winy teenagers who want to kill there parents. its disgusting. everything is i hate, kill this, **** that.

[Giancarlo]

god there forum looked like a cross between terrorist network and winy teenagers who want to kill there parents. its disgusting. everything is i hate, kill this, **** that.

Yeah no kidding. I'm all about tolerance and acceptance... Those guys would probably praise Mussolini... in fact i'll search the forum to see if they have.

So much hate. They spend too much time hating... and not looking at themselves.

[Jeff]

Off topic: Now should you guys appreciate what we mods (those who are and were) did/continues to do here :)?

J

[Siregar]

Off topic: Now should you guys appreciate what we mods (those who are and were) did/continues to do here :)?

J

Of course Jeff. I personally really appreciate what kind of condition being maintained by mods here. I've never found any other better forum or even near MM quality (regarding the freedom of the speech with clear rules). :)

[Giancarlo]

Off topic: Now should you guys appreciate what we mods (those who are and were) did/continues to do here :)?

J

Well I don't think anyone here is what I'm seeing on that Inter forum..

[Warro Bantan]

Glad R10 is going to the Olympics...this way he will regain match-fitnesss much faster than he would "just" working out at Milanello...not to say that our facilities are not first rate, but there is something to be said for competitive match conditions, and the mental sharpness that is best fostered in that environment.

That said, I confess that a quarter final exit would suit me just fine, allowing him time to acclimatise to Ancelotti's tactical outline and requirements, and to gel with his team-mates...even if the Brazilian connection will hasten that understanding along.

Pity Pato has to go, as as good as he is, the understanding between he and Kaka was nowhere near what it could potentially be, and was nowhere near the telepathic communication our #22 has with Pippo.

With his departure for Beijing, this chemistry development will be delayed.

Seedorf (mercifully quiet thus far) is my only other concern, and his behaviour over the coming weeks with the #10 issue, and his "automatic" starter status obviously under threat, it will be of great interest as to his reaction, and the decisions he will take as a result.

For me, as good as R10 is, he isn't good enough for me to feel that Seedorf is now surplus to requirements.

Clarence's best maybe behind him, but with the rest that R10 will afford him, he will IMO have a bigger impact, with performances unhindered by fatigue. I hope his ego allows him to grasp this.

As for the defense, as I have mentioned before, Maldini's decision to postpone his retirement will not allow us to buy another CD, though if Simic does leave, I can see us replacing him....though based on who I see available on the cheap, we may be better off just keeping him.

Brocci on the other hand, with Flamini being here, well, let's just say I prefer Abate to him, even if they are different types of players. Pity Abate feels he has to leave, but if it will allow him more playing time...:dontkn:

Flamini for me, makes Brocci redundant.

I would be very surprised if we bought anymore players, and IMHO, I am ok with what we have, as at the end of the day, we should have a good run in the UEFA Cup, and battle till the last match-day for a scudetto victory.

We don't have a UCL winning side, but we aren't in the UCL.

Good enough for a scudetto title challenge, though not strong enough on paper to be automatic favourites.

And that is just fine with me! :D

[Russo-Neri]

Nice post Warro. Great point about Dinho and the Olympics. The intensity going into those Olympic matches will surely speed up Dinho's conditioning and get him in better physical shape before the start of Serie A - but this comes at the expense of developing chemistry with his Milan teammates. I want to see Dinho playing at his best as soon as possible, so I personally am looking forward to his Olympic participation.

I also agree that Brocchi is MORE than redundant now that Flamini has arrived. I wish we could have sold him and bought Cigarini instead to either learn under Pirlo or be loaned out and brought back at a future date. What's worse is that Brocchi's presence on the team means he'll probably play a lot of matches - Ancelotti keeps on playing him for some reason.

And while Ancelotti plays Brocchi in spite of his shortcomings, he doesn't play Simic. I think we should keep him for now and maybe use him as a bargaining chip for Boruc either in January or next summer. But then again, who knows how much value Simic will have left by then.

The moves this team has made have greatly improved its quality. We are certain to make CL as a worst case scenario. Best case scenario, we win the scudetto. But I think the odds are in Inter's favor still. We certainly could use upgrades in GK, CB, LB, and CF. But with everything Milan has done this summer, I can't complain or demand more.

ok maybe Zapata ;)

[kakacmilan best]

Pato also going to the Olympics.
He will play with R10. this is a good thing in think.

[Milano84]

i like your post warro my only worry is we may drop alot of points early on ebcause of the loss of dinho and pato +kaka off surgery.....also when they come back chemistry takes a few games.

I do LOVE our midfield now. for the 3 spots, i see 2 offensive influences (pirlo, seedorf) 2 defensive (gattuso, ambro) and flamini who is more defensive/box to box.... Either emerson or brocchi should go. 1 as a 6th choice MF is fine. ocasional sub appearances to close out games, or cover for inury crisis. Both are reduntant though..... also w/ antonini and possibly abate, who r capable of taking midfield rolls.


I expect seedorf to walk away next year and go to either ajax or possibly a big club. He'll be 33, he's clearly slowed down. He'll always be a legend to be as a milan player, but reality is, especiall in midfield...careers r short. peticularly offensive running midfielders, its hard to play at a high level past ur early 30s. The only players you see playing at a high level game in/game out into there mid 30s are defenders/defensive mfs.


I expect seedorf to be critical in his versatility... he will play trequarista at times, side mf, and even relieve pirlo. I hope he embraces this, as he really is a jack of all trades, and although he's slowed down a bit, his skill is and always will be there.............. well unless daniel maldini is playing :-D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXpPD3FpxIg

[Milano84]

i'm willing to bet it was part of transfer agreement though... that dinho can play olympics

[hitmannq8]

A couple of months ago Galliani said Ronaldinho and Sheva were 180% ours..meaning that back then BOTH Dinho and Sheva were in our sights. I think this means we could still see Sheva coming here, we probably said we dont need Sheva because Chelsea might be asking a bit too much for him.


And about someone who said having Kalac as #1 has lowered our standards..I can only say that what do you expect with Dida being his competitor for that spot. Dida is the one who is wearing our #1, he is the one who is earning 4m a year (is that more than double what Kalac earns?), and yet he is the one who made a fool of himself and Milan with that incident with Celtic, and yet he is the one who wasted so many points for Milan. The only reason Milan's standards have lowered is because of Dida. Kalac has performed absolutely fantastic in Dida's absence last year. If you really think Dida is a better bet than Kalac right now then you obviously are blinded from the obsession you have with Dida.

[Russo-Neri]

A couple of months ago Galliani said Ronaldinho and Sheva were 180% ours..meaning that back then BOTH Dinho and Sheva were in our sights. I think this means we could still see Sheva coming here, we probably said we dont need Sheva because Chelsea might be asking a bit too much for him.


That was before we re-signed Borriello as Gila's replacement. Forget it - we aren't getting anyone else. And if we were, I think a CB or Boruc is a bigger priority than another FW.

[Giancarlo]

That was before we re-signed Borriello as Gila's replacement. Forget it - we aren't getting anyone else. And if we were, I think a CB or Boruc is a bigger priority than another FW.

I think it was the inability of our forwards that cost us games actually. If we had capable forwards that would put the game pass question, then we wouldn't have lost points.

[Siregar]

I think it was the inability of our forwards that cost us games actually. If we had capable forwards that would put the game pass question, then we wouldn't have lost points.

It's only BIG IF. If we had enough players to compete in all competition, we could be not only World Cup winer but also CL winner and qualify for champions league. :)

It's not the inability of our forwards that cost us games but it's the inability our players as a team (GK, defender, midfielder and attacker). We have just to admit, we were so poor in Serie A.

[Giancarlo]

It's only BIG IF. If we had enough players to compete in all competition, we could be not only World Cup winer but also CL winner and qualify for champions league. :)

It's not the inability of our forwards that cost us games but it's the inability our players as a team (GK, defender, midfielder and attacker). We have just to admit, we were so poor in Serie A.

I don't think we were extremely poor (if we were extremely poor we would have got in like 9th or 10th place heheh), but we lost points where we shouldn't have like against Atalanta.

Edit: On the other hand, yes we were perhaps poor by our own standards heh.

[Kaka--7thUCL]

guys, im a bit lost on the where abouts of adriano? last i checked he was still young and in poor form, couldnt get anymore perfect for us to step in on him.. nayways i still think we need another attacker a defender and a goalie, if not 2-3 defenders.

[hitmannq8]

so guys, why are there many people still hoping for Zapata? have we been linked with him at all to start with?

[hishamilan]

i looked at our suad that mourning and i found out we must sell a little ... digao + simic + brocci ... then loan out darmian + abate + palosci ... then we are a bit reasonable 24-players squad
first half of the season formation:
----------------kalac--------------
Zambro----nesta----kaladze--janku
------flamini---pirlo---gattusso----
--------------kaka---------------- subs are :
--------pato-------boriello-------- dida+seedorf+bonera+oddo+ambro
second half of the season formation:
---------------kalac--------------
Oddo----nesta----kaladza---zambro
-----flamini------------gattusso---
--------------pirlo----------------
----------kaka-----rony---------- subs are :
---------------pato--------------- dida+seedorf+bonera+janku+ambro

[Milano84]

guys, im a bit lost on the where abouts of adriano? last i checked he was still young and in poor form, couldnt get anymore perfect for us to step in on him.. nayways i still think we need another attacker a defender and a goalie, if not 2-3 defenders.

inter would sell him half price before they sold him to us.....and also apparently mourinho likes his potential thinks he can reform him

[forward]

---------------kalac--------------
Oddo----nesta----kaladza---zambro
-----flamini------------gattusso---
--------------pirlo----------------
----------kaka-----rony----------
---------------pato---------------

this line up surely looks intimidating, especially attack-wise :D
I have read this morning that Ancelotti will have Ronaldinho play a free attacking position, meaning that he will be allowed to act creatively anywhere in the attack

[Gabriel489]

Finishing fifth were mainly b/c of the followings:

1. Lack of motivations against smaller teams
2. Lack of squad depth
3. Inability to score, when u look at the shots on goal, I think Milan might have led the league but they just could not score at times.
4. Inability to hold the lead like we used to

I believe the those were the reasons and MGT did improved on all those areas.
I mean if finishing fifth and our neighbor winning three titles in a row cannot work as motivation to win the league, these players got problems.
When you look at the players that were bought and those that left, they are all upgrade.
Zambro is both Cafu and Serginho as he can play both wings and be more effective than the two Brazilians.
Flamini is a huge upgrade over Gourcuff and on top of that a much better player than Brocchi and Emerson.
Antonini is solid and will provide strong cover for the left side, his signings reminds me of Bonera from a few yrs ago.
R10 is way better than Gila
and despite his one season wonder tag, I will still take Borreillo over R9 anyday at the moment.

Now, those are improvements but I still don't think thats enough on paper to dethrown Inter. Then again, who knows, maybe players at Inter just can't stand JM or INter have a strong run in CL and did not concentrate on Series A.... A lot can happen till the end, but at the very least I do have more hope in us to win Series A than over the past few years. Lets just hope the team can take all the pts from teams like Genoa.

If I have it my way, I would sell Brocchi, Favalli, Emerson, SImic and Kaldaze, then sign Zapata, Hernanes, Mazzarotti, Sammarco and Adebayor

[Vulli]

According to reports in Italy, Clarence Seedorf has now embraced Milan’s signing of Ronaldinho, and will even agree to hand him his No.10 shirt

[GeoTav]

I don't think we were extremely poor (if we were extremely poor we would have got in like 9th or 10th place heheh), but we lost points where we shouldn't have like against Atalanta.

Edit: On the other hand, yes we were perhaps poor by our own standards heh.

In Serie A, from September to January and on some matches (50%) from January to May, the team played poorly/did poor performances ...

I just remember these matches:
- Lazio-Milan (1-5)
- Milan-Napoli (1-4)
- Roma-Milan (3-2 ?? don't remember exactly lol)
- Juventus-Milan (3-2)
- Milan-Inter (2-1)

They are, approximately, the only games played at our real level ... if all the season was played like that, we would easily be Serie A winners (a big IF again lol).
It's why we can be confident for next year with these reinforcements we have had and Pato from September 2008 to May 2009 !!

[drucurl]

First of all congratulations to all Milan fans as our faith in management has been rewarded. I know I may get slaughtered for saying this but the signing of ronaldinho is imho not necessary at all as he doesn't fill a particular need. He MAY however provide an alternative to our needs thereby erasing them. Personally I'd have wanted a proper LB/ winger and a ST for the cost of R10. I also suspect the deal to have very little footballing motive so much as publicity and financial designs.

Nevertheless congrats and let's win the scudetto :respect:

[Giancarlo]

Forza Milan
First of all congratulations to all Milan fans as our faith in management has been rewarded. I know I may get slaughtered for saying this but the signing of ronaldinho is imho not necessary at all as he doesn't fill a particular need. He MAY however provide an alternative to our needs thereby erasing them. Personally I'd have wanted a proper LB/ winger and a ST for the cost of R10. I also suspect the deal to have very little footballing motive so much as publicity and financial designs.

Nevertheless congrats and let's win the scudetto
Ronaldinho was not my first choice, but was up there on the list of players I think can help our squad strongly. I think we need to improve our offensive power before anything else, and buying a LB would not have helped that. Furthermore, buying Ronaldinho could potentially bring more attention to the Serie A helping us in the long run. Yes perhaps publicity had a part... but Ronaldinho's signing is far more important with regards to tactics and the game than any of that!

[ZvonimirBoban]

Peace.

I support Dinho arrival... And I supposed I'm happy with that.

[Giancarlo]

Peace.

Let's make peace.

[SANT]

Let's make peace

I'm sure Dru didn't say it as an offense... it's a joke...

[Giancarlo]

Just take it easy, I'm sure Dru didn't say it as an offense... it's a joke...

Dru is a friendly guy and so does everyone else in MM!

[ZvonimirBoban]

Ha... Ha... Ha...

Well, that's his right. But for now let's just enjoy one of our greatest signing of all time. Can't wait for the first match.. or can't wait for the next signing (dreams LOL)...!

[drucurl]

You're in the wrong. Completely in the wrong. And insulting us calling us kool-aid drinkers is something else. Ronaldinho was not my first choice, but was up there on the list of players I think can help our squad strongly. I think we need to improve our offensive power before anything else, and buying a LB would not have helped that. Furthermore, buying Ronaldinho could potentially bring more attention to the Serie A helping us in the long run. Yes perhaps publicity had a part... but Ronaldinho's signing is far more important with regards to tactics and the game than any of that!

And where the hell do you get off on calling anyone on here kool-aid drinkers? Because they don't agree with you? Sorry if I offended you ...

[Giancarlo]

Pipe down sparky :o
Sorry if I offended you :pp18:

And Seedorf had more than his fair share of bad games because he's getting older. It would be much better if he sat further back in the midfield and Ronaldinho did more.

The problems we had was precisely with our midfield and Seedorf not performing in more than a few games. As much as I like Seedorf, it's just the truth.

We get several things out of Ronaldinho..

Free kicker taker... less pressure on Andrea Pirlo to take all the free kicks... and in this case Andrea could be more productive throughout the game with his long passing.

Attacking midfielder... he could reduce pressure on Kaka and Seedorf... now both will be more productive for our team in the long run. He also increases the depth of our team.

He can form a strong partnership with Pato and Kaka. We all know Kaka loves having his friends play with the team... and I'm sure he'll play even better with Ronaldinho.

See I do have my reasons to support him. And now that it appears that Seedorf has made sacrifices, he'll fit just fine in the team.

[Mr. Anonymous]

i looked at our suad that mourning and i found out we must sell a little ... digao + simic + brocci ... then loan out darmian + abate + palosci ... then we are a bit reasonable 24-players squad
first half of the season formation:
----------------kalac--------------
Zambro----nesta----kaladze--janku
------flamini---pirlo---gattusso----
--------------kaka---------------- subs are :
--------pato-------boriello-------- dida+seedorf+bonera+oddo+ambro
second half of the season formation:
---------------kalac--------------
Oddo----nesta----kaladza---zambro
-----flamini------------gattusso---
--------------pirlo----------------
----------kaka-----rony---------- subs are :
---------------pato--------------- dida+seedorf+bonera+janku+ambro


I like the second formation, but would make it more like this....

---------------kalac--------------
Oddo----nesta----kaladza---zambro
--------flamini--gattusso---------
--------------pirlo----------------
---kaka-------------------rony----
---------------pato---------------

By putting Ronny and Kaka wide we could stretch the defense, and allow Pato to drop back a little. It possibly could avoid the problem so many people feel could happen which is Ronny and Kaka patroling the same space.

[Mr. Anonymous]

Dru, I'm coming to TNT.

[ray888]

Hopefully, Paloschi can now go on loan (not sold) to Samp or some other club and gain some valuable playing experience and return to Milan next season with Abate to replace the aging players in the squad. :rone:

[drucurl]

And Seedorf had more than his fair share of bad games because he's getting older. It would be much better if he sat further back in the midfield and Ronaldinho did more
Seedorf was the LEAST of our problems and was for many games the BEST player we had. Our problems ranged from lack of width (an issue still unsolved, though Carlo now has the players to resolve it), poor goalkeeping and no reliable goalscorer/finisher. Pirlo played far worse imho

The problems we had was precisely with our midfield and Seedorf not performing in more than a few games. As much as I like Seedorf, it's just the truth. See above reply

We get several things out of Ronaldinho..

Free kicker taker... less pressure on Andrea Pirlo to take all the free kicks... and in this case Andrea could be more productive throughout the game with his long passing.

Attacking midfielder... he could reduce pressure on Kaka and Seedorf... now both will be more productive for our team in the long run. He also increases the depth of our team.

He can form a strong partnership with Pato and Kaka. We all know Kaka loves having his friends play with the team... and I'm sure he'll play even better with Ronaldinho. I'm guessing Steven Gerrard and Lampard are not adverse to knocking a cold one at the pub....it doesn't mean that they are far too similar to play together :o To date, I have never watched a single Brazil game where there was some hint of chemistry between the two players....I have seen Kaka play well with Ronaldo and I have seen Ronaldinho play well with Adriano and Ronaldo NEVER a Kaka-Ronaldinho partnership

I agree about the free kicks and everything else though :respect:

See I do have my reasons to support him. And now that it appears that Seedorf has made sacrifices, he'll fit just fine in the team. I don't see a reason why Seedorf has to give up the # 10....I mean all plaudits to him if he does but Seedorf has earned his #10 and he wanted it as well.

[Giancarlo]

Seedorf was the LEAST of our problems and was for many games the BEST player we had. Our problems ranged from lack of width (an issue still unsolved, though Carlo now has the players to resolve it), poor goalkeeping and no reliable goalscorer/finisher. Pirlo played far worse imho

Seedorf had the problem of not performing up to task in my games. While he was great in several games, in most he was not. By the way, towards the end of the season Pirlo was one of our better players and the game he did NOT play in against Napoli cost us. I think we do have reliable goalscorers, and Pato should be even better this upcoming season.


To date, I have never watched a single Brazil game where there was some hint of chemistry between the two players....I have seen Kaka play well with Ronaldo and I have seen Ronaldinho play well with Adriano and Ronaldo NEVER a Kaka-Ronaldinho partnership

I brought up these concerns myself, but I believe that can all change. And Dunga's job, as Milan084 said earlier, may be saved because of that.


I don't see a reason why Seedorf has to give up the # 10....I mean all plaudits to him if he does but Seedorf has earned his #10 and he wanted it as well.

It's his choice.

[Mr. Anonymous]

:devf::5schal::strong::w155::5inter:


Buffon Tips Milan For Scudetto

Juventus goalkeeping superhuman Gianluigi Buffon has tipped AC Milan to win the Scudetto this season.

The upcoming Serie A campaign promises to be one of the most exciting for a number of years, with Inter no longer it seems guaranteed of winning the title.

City rivals Milan have been making a big impact in the summer transfer market, signing Ronaldinho, Mathieu Flamini and Gianluca Zambrotta, among others.

With the Rossoneri out of the Champions League also, Buffon believes that they are the favourites for the Scudetto.

“If you want my prediction, I would go for Milan,” the 30-year-old told Panorama.

“The fact that they are not playing in the Champions League next year is an enormous advantage. “As for Inter, we will have to see what the Jose Mourinho effect is.”

Buffon also spoke about Juve’s two main summer signings Amauri and Christian Poulsen, and he has given his thumbs up to both players.

"I think that Amauri has the ability to make a big difference for us,” said the world’s number one goalkeeper.

“Christian Poulsen? He may not have the technical quality of Amauri, but he is the kind of player who makes a side solid.”

Buffon has been at Juventus since signing from Parma in 2001, and has since won four Scudetti (two revoked).


http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=780677

[Jeff]

You guys don't need me to tell you why all of your posts are edited (Sorry SANT much of your post are quotes that needed to be removed). Hope the editing is ok with you guys.

[SANT]

hahaha... Mods editing Mods... I guess there's always a first time for everything...

no problem, Jeff, thanks.

[RIO]

You mods...:D
Personally, I hope that Ronaldo (if anyone has seen the gut he's been sporting recently, he passed the "little Ronaldo" stage a while back) is not the last signing we make. Even if he plays like the fit and focused guy of three years ago with his new surroundings and team-mates, it doesn't address our most pressing problems, which are in defense and goal. The steps have been good, but the journey is not over yet.

[hwmook]

I like the second formation, but would make it more like this....

---------------kalac--------------
Oddo----nesta----kaladza---zambro
--------flamini--gattusso---------
--------------pirlo----------------
---kaka-------------------rony----
---------------pato---------------

By putting Ronny and Kaka wide we could stretch the defense, and allow Pato to drop back a little. It possibly could avoid the problem so many people feel could happen which is Ronny and Kaka patroling the same space.

Not a bad formation but i would drop oddo and go with Bonera. It seem to me that ronaldinho prefer to roam on the left flank and kaka on the right flank so i don't see how they will be stepping on each other toes. This is a very interesting formation, 3 very mobile attackers with a free to go forward Pirlo too.

I think one big advantage to this R10 transfer is he bring a lot of options to our teams, suddenly i can think of many different formation and lineups which our squad can play with.

With this transfers, i think some players should be let go. Brocchi and emerson, 1 must go. Paloschi to go on loan IMO, he need more matches and gain a reputation for himself. 1 more defender to replace Simic and 1 more goalkeeper to make the wonder team for this season.

[Jeff]

It's really up to Carlo to deal with the issue between kaka` and Ronaldinho. That's what it is up for for a top-class coach like Ancelotti. Hey, if he can solve the problem, then everyone benefits right?

And, I suspect that Kaka` and Ronaldinho will have rotation with each other at some stage as well, which becomes critical when it comes to CL (assumign Milan is back on track next year).

I would really let go of Brocchi; he didn't impress.

I still would love to have one DC in order to make the squad complete, at least for this year.

[Milano84]

i expect to see mostly the xmas tree w/ dinho and kaka behind loan striker. then pato subbing for 1, or to rest... starting for 1 and switching to a 4-3-1-2....should be simple and effective.

[Giovanni]

Guys, i'm using this thread for a personal purpose but wanted to reach the highest number of people. Within a few hours i will leave for Southern Italy for my deserved holidays. I will come back at the beginning of September. Just wanted to wish all of you who are going on vacation to have a great time, and all of you to keep going this thread and to have faith in this great, great team.
This season is starting under good premises.

FORZA MILAN!

[hitmannq8]

take care Gio, be sure to hit Sardegna :)

[Jim_UK]

bring me back a present Gio ... female, about 5' 10", nice figure, likes english guys ;)

Have a great time buddy, you'd earned it!

[ginoformaggino]

bel colpo, torinese :v103:

ricordati di santificare la f..a :ende:

e anche che il Milan gioca mercoledi 23 alle 18 e 30 contro la Cremonese :dcool:

ah, take a look here : http://globoesporte.globo.com/Esportes/Noticias/Futebol/italiano/0,,MUL650265-9848,00-RECEBIDO+POR+MIL+PESSOAS+NO+SAN+SIRO+RONALDINHO+PROMETE+O+MAXIMO+NO+MILAN.html

[devoted_dm]

I have a feeling this is going to be a beautiful season for us in the Serie A. The club has really strengthened the team a lot this summer, to the point where players like Ambrosini and Seedorf won't be first team regulars anymore. And as soon as the fixture list is ready, I will start planning my trips to Milan. Can't wait to see Ronaldinho, Flamini and Zambrotta in red and black :)

Seriously, kudos to Galliani and all the others in the club management! I have doubted them a lot, but they really always try to do what is best for Milan in the long run, because they love the club too.

[Roche13]

Milan's track record speaks for itself.

[Giancarlo]

Milan's track record speaks for itself.

What do you mean?

[t.gianni]

I have a feeling this is going to be a beautiful season for us in the Serie A. The club has really strengthened the team a lot this summer, to the point where players like Ambrosini and Seedorf won't be first team regulars anymore. And as soon as the fixture list is ready, I will start planning my trips to Milan. Can't wait to see Ronaldinho, Flamini and Zambrotta in red and black :)

Seriously, kudos to Galliani and all the others in the club management! I have doubted them a lot, but they really always try to do what is best for Milan in the long run, because they love the club too.

I wholeheartedly concur with your post. Galliani must be praised for this intelligent coup. He planned it really well when we signed Oliviera to get access to De Asis and since has played his cards well.

Galliani for president! :respect:

[Roche13]

What do you mean?

About 200 pages ago everyone complaining and crying about the lack of transfers.And some people and i said to those people just calm down.
Trust in your team,because Milan's track record speaks for itself.

[Giancarlo]

About 200 pages ago everyone complaining and crying about the lack of transfers.And some people and i said to those people just calm down.
Trust in your team,because Milan's track record speaks for itself.

I see :) Trust me I was one of the first to defend the management and I got a lot of criticism for doing that...

All I'll say is I was totally right. ;)

[hitmannq8]

I dont understand why is Galliani being a hero this week after spending the last week getting crucified?

It's not like he did perform any miracles to tell you the truth. What he did this summer is simply the bare minimum that has been lacking for two years. Think of it this way, the past two transfer campaigns he got an F, and now he gets a C for acceptable. Yes, Flamini Zambrotta and Ronaldinho are the BEST moves this market, but these moves did not happen because of Galliani, it would have happened with even Moratti here. He finally did what the fans have been wanting for two years. Another example would be like, say you have to pay $5 dollars for renting a DVD per day. 2 days have past and you still have not paid anything, but when the third day comes, you decide to pay $5. You tell me, would you be happy in that case?

I'm sorry, I cannot praise him just yet. I'll praise him for what he has done before, sure. But the last two years he has done far too bad to win me over with a transfer campaign that is just acceptable.

And if you're wondering what I expect from Galliani to forgive him, it would be for him to do one of his wonderful steals he used to do (I do think what he did with Flamini was absolutey fantastic though, thats what I want to see more often). I'd like him to snatch players like Robinho or Balotelli, Santacroce or Alex without anyone expecting it.

[Jeff]

I dont understand why is Galliani being a hero this week after spending the last week getting crucified?

It's not like he did perform any miracles to tell you the truth. What he did this summer is simply the bare minimum that has been lacking for two years. Think of it this way, the past two transfer campaigns he got an F, and now he gets a C for acceptable. Yes, Flamini Zambrotta and Ronaldinho are the BEST moves this market, but these moves did not happen because of Galliani, it would have happened with even Moratti here. He finally did what the fans have been wanting for two years. Another example would be like, say you have to pay $5 dollars for renting a DVD per day. 2 days have past and you still have not paid anything, but when the third day comes, you decide to pay $5. You tell me, would you be happy in that case?

I'm sorry, I cannot praise him just yet. I'll praise him for what he has done before, sure. But the last two years he has done far too bad to win me over with a transfer campaign that is just acceptable.

And if you're wondering what I expect from Galliani to forgive him, it would be for him to do one of his wonderful steals he used to do (I do think what he did with Flamini was absolutey fantastic though, thats what I want to see more often). I'd like him to snatch players like Robinho or Balotelli, Santacroce or Alex without anyone expecting it.

I think you are underplaying the role Gallini and co play in capturing Ronaldinho. Is not that easy. I do not agree that Moratti will be able to do that. Moratti has simply been shopping for players and splashing out money like crazy to trade for scudetto, a time which (surprisingly?!) coincides with the scandal and stole some of the best players from Juventus. We know the rest of the story. I think even a low-tier manager knows how to do that with the money.

It's difficult to do a 'steal' especially considering that news is all over the place these days. I would almost think that Pato is a steal but nobody seems to notice that. Talents are out there and you can't recruit all of them. Recruiting THE RIGHT ONE is key. For example, after Balotelli talking so much crap about how much he shoudl get paid, I'm not sure if he still fits in with Milan's atmosphere. Same for Cassano (who is amazing but notorious at the same time perhaps?)

And we almost steal Suazo remember?! (and not surprisingly Inter wasted yet another few millions of so leaving him on the bench completely when he could have come here and actually play, right?!)

But I do concede that his performance is awful last year and the year before, but we have to take into account the caciopoli scandal.

[ACMILAN1983]

There's a lot of excitement for the upcoming season and rightly so I think. We're pretty strong in all areas now, especially if guys like Borri or Pato can fulfil their potential.

However, I must admit I'm still slightly concerned about our defence. I wasn't impressed by Kaladze last season and Maldini can't be relied on too frequently. The lack of pace at the back last season was most alarming. Whilst Maldini makes up for this with his superb positioning, Kaladze often stumbled along and found himself in a lot of trouble. That said with Flamini and possibly a better Gattuso (I think he'll have a personal boost after committing to the club and feeling wanted as well, never mind getting the reinforcements he's been quite vocal about the last couple of summers), we should be looking at a much stronger midfield (rather than having teams walk through us on the counter).

Next summer we'll have a lot of work still, but for this season we should have enough to cope.

[Siregar]

I have to admit what management have done this summer is very good regardless what they did for last two seasons and regarding what competitions we will face this season.

The last two seasons were really crap from the management especially last season!

What I hope is that the management will always remember that we need to invest even we just have won an important thropy.

[regin]

btw,who is gonna take the penalties...?will it be kaka or ronaldinho...!!
i hope it stays with kaka..

[ThrusT]

btw,who is gonna take the penalties...?will it be kaka or ronaldinho...!!
i hope it stays with kaka..
Just as every other player Ronaldinho will have to respect the hierarchy in our club. Kaka is high on the list and was here before him so Kaka gets to take the penalties.
Unless ofcourse Kaka allows Dinho to take the penalty instead, same goes for the freekicks (Pirlo-Dinho).


Btw, the rubbish papers are unsurprisingly reporting that Seedorf will leave.
I highly doubt it, but I wonder, what if?
Who would we buy to replace him? No one?

[ZvonimirBoban]

I guess if Seedorf were to leave then Abate would step up to his role OR we would buy no one (realistically). If I were management, I'd buy Schweinsteiger or Silva or Montolivo or Arshavin (yeah, only if..), but I guess the management will not spend for anyone above 10M anymore, let alone an AM, but firstly I would want to know how much money we'd get from Seedorf sale.

I hope he stays and be a nice backup for Kaka/Dinho, though.

[Warro Bantan]

More news on the rumored Seedorf move:
http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/jul18g.html

I don't believe it for a minute, yet wouldn't be surprised if it did happen.

The last team I would sell him to would be Juve though...actually, if I were to sell Clarence, it would be to team in Serie B, or outside of Italy.

Saw this, or at least the possibility of rumors swirling about his possible departure from a mile away....

Tuttosport is the paper making the report, while the more "Milan friendly" Gazetta, has Clarence welcoming R10...

:dontkn:

[regin]

Its not easy to get montolivo since he'll be the captain for fiorentina..
aquilani has been having this contract problem for such a long period..
if he was to move i think we should snatch him ahead of either inter or juve,he'd be amazing..

But i dont think seedorf might move..

[Nalx]

If I were management, I'd buy Schweinsteiger or Silva or Montolivo or Arshavin (yeah, only if..), but I guess the management will not spend for anyone above 10M anymore, let alone an AM, .


Galliani said that the mercato is closed though I think he'll change his mind if Chelsea agrees to sell Sheva

[mrki]

There are two more free players that we can get and can help us a lot: Sheva on loan ( which is our target and a deal we have with Sheva ) and Ferrari.

Ferrari - is not a world class defender, but with Simic going and Abate also, for free we can get pretty young italian player that can help in rotation sistem. And is better then simic, Abate, Marzoratti, Darmiani...for sure an ok solution for a long season in my oppinion.

Sheva - Pippo is 35, Boriello is NOt that good. Our only real class forward now is Pato, and I expect a lot from him. But I axpect Milan to try for Sheva loan also.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

And now the part I adore - Milan's misdield this season: :)

Pirlo, Gattuso, Ambrosini, Flamini, Seedorf, KAka', Ronaldinho :) :) :)

[jtelly]

Scolari has said that he intends to keep Sheva and use him; I don't know if this is just lip-service to Abramovich's kid, or if he really could get the best out of him. Either way, if Drogba is going to leave Chelsea, which I really doubt, then they would actually be somewhat depleted of decent strikers. I don't see them giving him on loan because he's too old to come back if he has a decent year, they would be better off selling him, but I don't think they have confidence in anyone else. I mean, Pizarro sucked balls and Anelka seems to be off in the clouds; that guy is just a mercenary who I am so happy missed his PK.
I think Sheva will stay; we don't have the funds to pay without CL revenue this year. I'm not saying it wouldn't help to have him, but i just don't think it is realistic given the other arrivals.
Is Paloschi confirmed on loan yet? Also, if serie A starts Aug. 31 and there is an international break soon in September, I don't think we'll miss Ronnie and Pato more than 1-2 games; no problem there.
I wonder how Adebayor and Wenger are getting along right now?!

[ZvonimirBoban]

Scolari has said that he intends to keep Sheva and use him; I don't know if this is just lip-service to Abramovich's kid, or if he really could get the best out of him. Either way, if Drogba is going to leave Chelsea, which I really doubt, then they would actually be somewhat depleted of decent strikers. I don't see them giving him on loan because he's too old to come back if he has a decent year, they would be better off selling him, but I don't think they have confidence in anyone else. I mean, Pizarro sucked balls and Anelka seems to be off in the clouds; that guy is just a mercenary who I am so happy missed his PK.
I think Sheva will stay; we don't have the funds to pay without CL revenue this year. I'm not saying it wouldn't help to have him, but i just don't think it is realistic given the other arrivals.
Is Paloschi confirmed on loan yet? Also, if serie A starts Aug. 31 and there is an international break soon in September, I don't think we'll miss Ronnie and Pato more than 1-2 games; no problem there.
I wonder how Adebayor and Wenger are getting along right now?!

The management said that there will be no transfer anymore, but in fact we still have some money and I dare to say that there's a chance that we will buy someone, even though it's just at a little chance. So I said that we could see how much money Seedorf will make if he were to leave. Maybe we will buy a younger midfield (like Abate) or loan them, because next season we'll have Gourcuff (I assume...).
Poor Adebayor. He can only pray for Eto'o to leave Barça.

[t.gianni]

There are two more free players that we can get and can help us a lot: Sheva on loan ( which is our target and a deal we have with Sheva ) and Ferrari.

Ferrari - is not a world class defender, but with Simic going and Abate also, for free we can get pretty young italian player that can help in rotation sistem. And is better then simic, Abate, Marzoratti, Darmiani...for sure an ok solution for a long season in my oppinion.

Sheva - Pippo is 35, Boriello is NOt that good. Our only real class forward now is Pato, and I expect a lot from him. But I axpect Milan to try for Sheva loan also.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

And now the part I adore - Milan's misdield this season: :)

Pirlo, Gattuso, Ambrosini, Flamini, Seedorf, KAka', Ronaldinho :) :) :)

This is the first time I have to agree with your post.

Your Ferrari recommedation is good since he is free and a decent player.

[Giancarlo]

It's not like he did perform any miracles to tell you the truth. What he did this summer is simply the bare minimum that has been lacking for two years. Think of it this way, the past two transfer campaigns he got an F, and now he gets a C for acceptable. Yes, Flamini Zambrotta and Ronaldinho are the BEST moves this market, but these moves did not happen because of Galliani, it would have happened with even Moratti here. He finally did what the fans have been wanting for two years. Another example would be like, say you have to pay $5 dollars for renting a DVD per day. 2 days have past and you still have not paid anything, but when the third day comes, you decide to pay $5. You tell me, would you be happy in that case?

Frankly he did perform miracles and he did manage to get players without breaking the bank. Ronaldinho was bought even with competition from other teams. Man City was offering far many more millions than we were willing to offer. Galliani did what he had to do, and remember unlike Moratti he's not the one who is given the money (Berlusconi does that).



I'm sorry, I cannot praise him just yet. I'll praise him for what he has done before, sure. But the last two years he has done far too bad to win me over with a transfer campaign that is just acceptable.

He corrected past wrongs and pulled off huge market coups. I can and will praise him.

[Jim_UK]

Anyone but Ferrari, he's awful.

If Seedorf does leave (which i doubt, but then nothing he does surprises me), we would have to replace him. Abate is the obvious choice seeing as we own him, though it depends if he has been shipped out on loan already.

If not, i would go for Rosina or Lavezzi.

[Giancarlo]

More news on the rumored Seedorf move:
http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/jul18g.html

I don't believe it for a minute, yet wouldn't be surprised if it did happen.

The last team I would sell him to would be Juve though...actually, if I were to sell Clarence, it would be to team in Serie B, or outside of Italy.

Saw this, or at least the possibility of rumors swirling about his possible departure from a mile away....

Tuttosport is the paper making the report, while the more "Milan friendly" Gazetta, has Clarence welcoming R10...

:dontkn:

Yeah the real papers stated he was welcoming Ronaldinho and even willing to give up his shirt. We know what sources that's coming from. It's not our fault that Juve and Inter have been less than successful regarding their transfer season.

I'd keep him for sure.

In case anyone is wondering, I have not seen anything official on Abate just yet. I'd really like to see him stay with Milan, but I understand that he wants more first team playing time.

[Jim_UK]

I have not seen anything official on Abate just yet. I'd really like to see him stay with Milan, but I understand that he wants more first team playing time.

well he'll get it if Seedorf leaves, it'll make Abate first choice AM sub.

[Kerlz]

People here are Overexaggerating the capture of Ronaldinho. There was only 2 clubs who were after his services, and one of them being Man city.

Two years ago this capture would been phenominal as every club who could afford Ronni would have tried. Lets also not forget that 2 years ago Ronaldinho would have been the most expensive player if transferable, Whereas know he didnt even cost more then Pato.

Lets also not forget other factors which made this move easier. Examples such as, Ronnie wanting to go to the olympics and defying orders, Man city's deadline, Laporta's canidancy at the club ect.

[Giancarlo]

People here are Overexaggerating the capture of Ronaldinho. There was only 2 clubs who were after his services, and one of them being Man city.

Two years ago this capture would been phenominal as every club who could afford Ronni would have tried. Lets also not forget that 2 years ago Ronaldinho would have been the most expensive player if transferable, Whereas know he didnt even cost more then Pato.

Lets also not forget other factors which made this move easier. Examples such as, Ronnie wanting to go to the olympics and defying orders, Man city's deadline, Laporta's canidancy at the club ect.

No one is exaggerating anything. There were several offers made over ours, and while he didn't cost more than Pato, other teams were prepared to bid twice as much as he was. It was a major market coup, considering Laporta wanted to sell to Man City because there was more money to be offered. In other words, Barca pretty much got screwed on this transfer, and there own transfer market has been less than impressive.

[t.gianni]

People here are Overexaggerating the capture of Ronaldinho. There was only 2 clubs who were after his services, and one of them being Man city.

Two years ago this capture would been phenominal as every club who could afford Ronni would have tried. Lets also not forget that 2 years ago Ronaldinho would have been the most expensive player if transferable, Whereas know he didnt even cost more then Pato.

Lets also not forget other factors which made this move easier. Examples such as, Ronnie wanting to go to the olympics and defying orders, Man city's deadline, Laporta's canidancy at the club ect.

Other clubs knew very well how much grip we had on Ronaldinho since we were always after him and talking to his brother for two years. If we hadn't had that grip, then we could have lost him to Inter (moratti) or Chelsea (scolari). He is a player who is wanted by every club.

He was also crucified in France when he played for PSG and look what he did for Barca. Barca's modern history is COMPLETELY based on him.

[Kerlz]

Other clubs knew very well how much grip we had on Ronaldinho since we were always after him and talking to his brother for two years. If we hadn't had that grip, then we could have lost him to Inter (moratti) or Chelsea (scolari). He is a player who is wanted by every club

Moratti and Inter were only linked with him when Roberto mancini was still coaching Inter. As soon as Mourinho arrived the rumors went away. So lets not use that example. Scolari was just apponited and if anything as soon as he was appointed the rumors died down. Ronaldinho was a player who was wanted by every club, he no longer is.

[Giancarlo]

Moratti and Inter were only linked with him when Roberto mancini was still coaching Inter. As soon as Mourinho arrived the rumors went away. So lets not use that example. Scolari was just apponited and if anything as soon as he was appointed the rumors died down. Ronaldinho was a player who was wanted by every club, he no longer is.

This is totally not true. Even at this point he was wanted by several clubs. Mourinho if anything wanted him more than Mancini, and Scolari was given the funds to make several huge purchases... keep in mind Chelsea have already bought Deco and they would see it appropriate to buy another Barca player. He was wanted by several major clubs, even recently.

[Kerlz]

This is totally not true. Even at this point he was wanted by several clubs. Mourinho if anything wanted him more than Mancini, and Scolari was given the funds to make several huge purchases... keep in mind Chelsea have already bought Deco and they would see it appropriate to buy another Barca player. He was wanted by several major clubs, even recently.

Abramovic is the one who admired Ronaldinho never Mourinho, Mourinho was reported to have gotten into many dissagreements because of this the Ronnie issue. Scolari was never linked with Ronaldinho, it was and has always been Abramovic who wanted the player.

The only Managers who wanted him were R.mancini and Mark hughes.

Even Ancelotti had his doubts and said he prefers a farward to Ronnie

[Giancarlo]

Abramovic is the one who admired Ronaldinho never Mourinho, Mourinho was reported to have gotten into many dissagreements because of this the Ronnie issue. Scolari was never linked with Ronaldinho, it was and has always been Abramovic who wanted the player.

The only Managers who wanted him were R.mancini and Mark hughes.

Even Ancelotti had his doubts and said he prefers a farward to Ronnie

Scolari was mentioned several times actually... but this is a market coup not to be underestimated and it was quite impressive as Barca were willing to sell to anyone but us. We knew if they were forced to sell to Milan they would get the short end of the deal.

And I'm still giving my thumbs up to Galliani for doing the right thing!

[ea1899]

Well we've good mercato, compare with last two season ago. But based on what Galliani said 'bout our mercato.Is it really over?

I just might wondering we still have 2 non EU spots left, maybe we can use it to sign GK or defenders. I'm still hoping Zapata and Boruc would come but still then if it is happen 7 signing :p157: ?????? it could disrupt team harmony although is very tempting as a fan to see :tongue1:

[ARIO]

C'mon Kerlz.....

we're celebrating here....just don't ruin it

[hwmook]

People here are Overexaggerating the capture of Ronaldinho. There was only 2 clubs who were after his services, and one of them being Man city.

Two years ago this capture would been phenominal as every club who could afford Ronni would have tried. Lets also not forget that 2 years ago Ronaldinho would have been the most expensive player if transferable, Whereas know he didnt even cost more then Pato.

Lets also not forget other factors which made this move easier. Examples such as, Ronnie wanting to go to the olympics and defying orders, Man city's deadline, Laporta's canidancy at the club ect.

I have my doubts over ronaldinho too but seeing how he can carry a huge tummy and still make those nice moves......I think he can still contribute.

BTW, the reason why not many clubs go for ronnie is because of his pricetag. Barca ask for a whole lot of money for somebody not on form so it turn a lot of clubs off. So eventually its left to Milan and Man city. And also you are undermining the paycheck of ronaldinho, not many clubs in the world can afford to pay his wages. If his wages demand is low, you can be sure a whole lot of "man city" will jump in to fight for his signature.

[Jeff]

off topics: I deleted 6 posts that are clearly become so heated and irrelevant that doens't deserve to be read.

[Jeff]

I have my doubts over ronaldinho too but seeing how he can carry a huge tummy and still make those nice moves......I think he can still contribute.

BTW, the reason why not many clubs go for ronnie is because of his pricetag. Barca ask for a whole lot of money for somebody not on form so it turn a lot of clubs off. So eventually its left to Milan and Man city. And also you are undermining the paycheck of ronaldinho, not many clubs in the world can afford to pay his wages. If his wages demand is low, you can be sure a whole lot of "man city" will jump in to fight for his signature.

I agree, as someone mentioned before it's a risk. Well, it was ar isk to take R99, Seedorf, Pirlo etc. etc. etc., some works out, some don't. Kaka` could well be a risk back then (and then NOW we know he is not, but that's hindsight).

A Ronaldinho, 28years old who haven't suffered major injury setbacks and who have the motivatino to take a lower wage to play for the team?

I"LL TAKE THAT :).

[Giancarlo]

off topics: I deleted 6 posts that are clearly become so heated and irrelevant that doens't deserve to be read.

Um, I wasn't heated or anything. I just didn't think it's fair to single out Ronaldinho like that. And I've seen recent interviews with him apparently he has already trimmed his weight.

He's never had any major injuries throughout his career, like Ronaldo... I think he's a vital fantastic acquisition.

[Tony29.]

He corrected past wrongs and pulled off huge market coups. I can and will praise him.
It's always better to wait for the season to start and only then we can see how good the mercato work was and if the past wrongs were indeed corrected.

As for the current praise of Galliani, i think he deserves it only for the Flamini purchase. Flamini was wanted both by his club Arsenal and by Juve but Galliani managed to get the guy. No matter if Falmini plays good or bad in the future, Galliani deserves all the praise atm because he won the battle against two big clubs.
Zambortta wasn't wanted by his team and he wasn't wanted by any other team in Europe. It wasn't hard to get him. Ronaldinho wasn't wanted by his team and wasn't wanted by any other big team in Europe. It also wasn't hard to get him when your only rival is Manchester City, no matter if they offered more money.

Time will tell if Galliani is a genius for seeing what noone else saw or he's the loser of the mercato for not seeing what everyone else saw.

[Giancarlo]

It's always better to wait for the season to start and only then we can see how good the mercato work was and if the past wrongs were indeed corrected.

As for the current praise of Galliani, i think he deserves it only for the Flamini purchase. Flamini was wanted both by his club Arsenal and by Juve but Galliani managed to get the guy. No matter if Falmini plays good or bad in the future, Galliani deserves all the praise atm because he won the battle against two big clubs.
Zambortta wasn't wanted by his team and he wasn't wanted by any other team in Europe. It wasn't hard to get him. Ronaldinho wasn't wanted by his team and wasn't wanted by any other big team in Europe. It also wasn't hard to get him when your only rival is Manchester City, no matter if they offered more money.

Time will tell if Galliani is a genius for seeing what noone else saw or he's the loser of the mercato for not seeing what everyone else saw.

And Secco does? I think the current praise for Galliani is appropriate, and I think that both Zambrotta and Ronaldinho will perform well. We've seen glimpses of how well Ronaldinho plays even with extra weight. Zambrotta performed well in the games against France and Spain (where he was essentially playing with other fellow Rossoneri players)...

Ronaldinho was wanted by Chelsea, Inter and Man City. There were plenty of more rivals.

What has Secco done for his team? Besides get a bunch of second rate players like Mellberg, Poulsen and others? I'd rather stick with Galliani and praise him highly. ;)

I think without all the CL funding, we've had an especially effective transfer season. And other teams will be kicking themselves for not getting R10.

[Tony29.]

And Secco does? I think the current praise for Galliani is appropriate, and I think that both Zambrotta and Ronaldinho will perform well. We've seen glimpses of how well Ronaldinho plays even with extra weight. Zambrotta performed well in the games against France and Spain (where he was essentially playing with other fellow Rossoneri players)...

Ronaldinho was wanted by Chelsea, Inter and Man City. There were plenty of more rivals.

What has Secco done for his team? Besides get a bunch of second rate players like Mellberg, Poulsen and others? I'd rather stick with Galliani and praise him highly. ;)

I think without all the CL funding, we've had an especially effective transfer season. And other teams will be kicking themselves for not getting R10.
And who said that Secco does ?

Ronaldinho was wanted only by Milan and Manchester City. Only two offers were placed at the table. The rest was newspaper talk.

[Tony29.]

What's happening right now, look so much like what was happening in the past, only the roles are reversed.
Milan act like Inter of the past years. Lots of noice in the transfer market, buying stars, lots of pomp, big words, huge expectations and the final result is almost always disappointing.
Juve act like the mid table teams acted in the past. Loser attitude, satisfied with average players and average results etc.

Inter act like Juve and Milan acted in the past. They work in silence, they buy what's needed and they keep winning.

Imo, they'll win the scudetto again. Hopefully i'll be wrong but i'm usually right with these predictions. I think they have the best coach, the best bench, while their starting XI is not inferior to anyone's. Only some CL distraction could make them lose this scudetto.

[Hasan Rossonero]

What Galliani does deserve praise for is working for this transfer during the last two years. That certainly made a huge difference.

[Giancarlo]

What's happening right now, look so much like what was happening in the past, only the roles are reversed.
Milan act like Inter of the past years. Lots of noice in the transfer market, buying stars, lots of pomp, big words, huge expectations and the final result is almost always disappointing.
Juve act like the mid table teams acted in the past. Loser attitude, satisfied with average players and average results etc.

No it's not. We're doing what we have to do to be able to contest the Scudetto, and with Milan there are results to be shown. R10 is not going to disappoint. We're not acting like inter. Juve is in trouble with an attitude like that. We're doing what we have done in the past... like in 1999-2001... with buying plenty of players.



Imo, they'll win the scudetto again. Hopefully i'll be wrong but i'm usually right with these predictions. I think they have the best coach, the best bench, while their starting XI is not inferior to anyone's. Only some CL distraction could make them lose this scudetto.

Na. Their time is up. We're going to win the Scudetto. I think Mourinho is vastly overrated. :) And I think our bench now has an edge against their own now.

[Tony29.]

What Galliani does deserve praise for is working for this transfer during the last two years. That certainly made a huge difference.
Yeah, i must admit this is true.

[Campari]

We still need a worldclass goalkeeper, Dida and Kalac are solid but not on a level, that will help us in UEFA-Cup or in Serie A.

[Milano84]

Um, I wasn't heated or anything. I just didn't think it's fair to single out Ronaldinho like that. And I've seen recent interviews with him apparently he has already trimmed his weight.

He's never had any major injuries throughout his career, like Ronaldo... I think he's a vital fantastic acquisition.

do we even need to pull up the 100 pages of u bashing the possibility of ronaldinho.

I swear if galliani signed Anton Ferdinand some people would praise him as a transfer guru.....

btw tony, i read something about secco getting suspended or banned? Wanna enlighten me on what exactly is happening there. w/o secco how are you going to be abl to sign more DM's than milan?!

[Giancarlo]

do we even need to pull up the 100 pages of u bashing the possibility of ronaldinho.

I swear if galliani signed Anton Ferdinand some people would praise him as a transfer guru.....

btw tony, i read something about secco getting suspended or banned? Wanna enlighten me on what exactly is happening there. w/o secco how are you going to be abl to sign more DM's than milan?!

I wasn't bashing the possibility. I was concerned he was not who we needed... but now I've reconsidered that. I think he's valuable to the attacking portion of our midfield... since Seedorf like it or not is getting slower.

I was open to the signing of Ronaldinho at any time though... I didn't bash him... nor did I do it for 100 pages. That's just inaccurate.

Galliani did an exceptional job, and I know you love bashing Galliani... anyways, whatever.

You're not going to take away from me being happy with the signings. :) I'm proud of Galliani and he deserves great praise for what he has done this transfer season!

Edit: I'm really tired of this. If you're gonna attack me, do it with some proof.

[Milano84]

q not on our mercato, but the mercato... Thiago Neves? is he not leaving brazil? He was bola del oro winner (winners in order previous to him... lucas, tevez, robinho, alex, kaka)

I thought he was for sure coming to europe, however i havnet heard his name in a while

[Giancarlo]

Hmm... Neves... I think brasiliero may be able to tell us about anything... I'd actually be more keen on Thiago Silva... we do have 2 non-EU spots avaliable... so I hope management does one more acquirement. :)

[Tony29.]

btw tony, i read something about secco getting suspended or banned? Wanna enlighten me on what exactly is happening there. w/o secco how are you going to be abl to sign more DM's than milan?!
I don't really remember. There were some irregularities with the Criscito transfer to Juve so now Secco got a 1 month ban while Genoa's president a 2 month ban. I think it has to do more with Genoa's president who's also banned for some other things.

As for the DM's part, it shows perfectly how influental the media is nowdays. One journalist starts a story how Juve need a CM and not a DM and somehow a transfer of a DM and not buying a CM became a disaster.
Of course, no-one bothered to think how almost every team has at least 3 DMs (Juve had only two after selling Nocerino) and how Juve always play with 2 DMs in the starting XI and NEVER with a CM like Pirlo (ever since i was a fan they played with 2 DMs. First it was Sousa-Deschamps, then Davids-Tacchinardi and at the end Vieira-Emerson). Milan had 2 great Dms and yet you went for Flamini, which was normal considering how you must have a 3rd quality DM and how your bench DMs Emerson and Brocchi were flops.
Since the very beginning Juve were after a DM (Flamini) and i don't know why did they make such a big deal out of Poulsen's transfer.
Apart from the Zidane era when Lippi played without wingers, Juve always played with 2 Dms and 2 wingers.
Everything here is normal, i fail to see the problem.

The mistake was not strenghtening the defense, everything else was done well. Juve had the best attack last year and both the midfield and the attack were functioning great. With Poulsen, Giovinco and Amauri Juve managed to get very good DM, winger/playmaker and attacker and there is very good depth in these departments.

Such a shame people don't use their heads and they let the media do the thinking (i'm not talking about you, of course, i'm talking in general :) )

[Jim_UK]

Tony we've had to bang the drum alot (and be like Inter) in the transfer window to make ourselves a more desirable place to play. The manner of our exit in the CL and our dismal performances last year would have caused some players to think twice before joining us. Ok, you could say these aren't the players we should want anyway, but it never does any harm to promote yourself and make a big song & dance now and again.

Which is exactly the reason why we bought Ronaldinho. Galliani has already said we went for him over Adebayor because of the buzz & interest the Brazilian will generate for us. What he adds to our team was quite possibly just a bonus. Even if the guy doesn't play well for us, the injection he will, and already has, given the team and the AC Milan image will be enormous and at a time when we're struggling for cash and our long term future (i.e. what happens after Berlusconi) is uncertain, it couldn't come at a more ideal time :)

[Giancarlo]

Here we go again with the rubbish rumors about Kaka going to Chelsea... they just don't get it... Kaka is not for sale and already has indicated he's excited to play with R10. Ronaldinho offers our team incentive, and a renewed passion...

http://www.goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=782454

Our immense debts? Who wrote this? Our debts are small compared to Chelsea's.

[Tony29.]

Here we go again with the rubbish rumors about Kaka going to Chelsea... they just don't get it... Kaka is not for sale and already has indicated he's excited to play with R10. Ronaldinho offers our team incentive, and a renewed passion...

http://www.goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=782454

Our immense debts? Who wrote this? Our debts are small compared to Chelsea's.
I really don't get it why and how can you lose your sleep over something writen in a Brasilian sport site and then translated by goal.com.
Relax, this is obviously complete BS :)

[Giancarlo]

I really don't get it why and how can you lose your sleep over something writen in a Brasilian sport site and then translated by goal.com.
Relax, this is obviously complete BS :)

Oh trust me I don't. I just find it hilarious lol... it's probably was mistranslated too...

[Ghost]

Forza Ronaldinho

[Rojo y Negro]

I must say that I am very happy with our transfer market. We bought the players that were needed by the club. I know that the two non eu spots haven't been used as yet but maybe in January we will use them as the south american championship finish at that stage.

Anyways, you can't buy every players out there because that just doesn't work, you just need to fill the gaps.

Congrats Galliani and Berlusconi.

[Jeff]

I just think that we'll be perfect with an addition of a DC. We have Bonera, Kaladze, and Nesta. Maldini is not going to play every single game, but his presence is very important to the team. Even the most big-headed individuals will know what is 'respect' in front of him. Oddo and Janku won't play in CB. I really can't think of anyone else at the moment. Simic? not reliable anymore.

With any of Bonera, Kaladze, and Nesta injured, Milan will be short of defenders. I honestly hope that we'll go for a DC now. That will make the transfer complete, but I don't see it coming.

In terms of attack, we have:

Pato, R9+1, Kaka`, Inzaghi, Borriello. A 4-3-2-1 or 4-3-1-2 will both be possible. If two out injured, we still have options, so we are 'safe'.

Just not sure what DC is out there that is good and available at the moment...

[Giancarlo]

There is another free agent... not exactly what position in defense he plays, but Fernando Meira just left Stuttgart. He's not young, but he's not very old either. He's 30 and he has a distinguished record...

http://www.goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=782373

He could be a player we could use.

Edit: Nevermind, misread the article. I guess it was edited shortly after I posted.

[hitmannq8]

We are in need of CB but I also think a CF is needed. Just imagine that Pato gets injured for a month or two, then we would have to field one of Pippo or Boriello for the entire time. Pippo has his game and we also have to remember how useless can be at times and how injury-prone too. Boriello is just not good enough to start all those games, he is a step-down from Gilardino...at least Boriello has some personality and character though.

Sheva would be ideal but a striker like Drogba/Adriano wouldn't be bad either :D

[Milano84]

i think zlatan will fall out w/ mourinho fast. Mourinho's tactics dont lend to ibra's game 1 bit....mourinho has said he wants to play a 4-3-3.. hence wanting quaresma who i bet they'll eventuall get..... leaving them quaresma, mancini, jiminez, balotelli, figo on wings.... anyway i reall dont think ibrahimovic will fit and mourinho doesnt like to adjust tactics, so i bet he'll free up by next summer

[Giancarlo]

i think zlatan will fall out w/ mourinho fast. Mourinho's tactics dont lend to ibra's game 1 bit....mourinho has said he wants to play a 4-3-3.. hence wanting quaresma who i bet they'll eventuall get..... leaving them quaresma, mancini, jiminez, balotelli, figo on wings.... anyway i reall dont think ibrahimovic will fit and mourinho doesnt like to adjust tactics, so i bet he'll free up by next summer

Oh no... no... no... no...

I can't stand his attitude after he doesn't win a game... I generally can't stand Ibra... he would be bad for our team...

[Russo-Neri]

I hate to be the wet blanket, but I seriously don't think that Milan will win the Scudetto next season. Don't get me wrong, I applaud all the moves mgmt have done. But there were a LOT of holes on this team that needed to be filled which couldn't be filled in just one offseason. Yes this team reinforced the midfield with Flamini - a TRUE world class player IMO. Yes this team has vastly improved wing play with Zambrotta. And the attack - which was probably our biggest shortcoming last year - has obviously been improved with Dinho (I am one who believes he will return to at least some level of world class greatness) and Borriello (who I think is unfairly criticized on this forum.)

But let's face it. Out defense is not something to brag about. This team is coming off a season that already had an inarguably OLD defense, and simply replaced an old Cafu for a not-young Zambrotta. Maldini will only regress further, Kaladze will be viable (and probably a first teamer), but not someone who you'd call a brick wall. In fact, the only player I see stepping up on defense is Bonera, who potentially will switch time with Oddo (not world class) at RB.

This team should definately make CL next season, but If I could have complete control of this team, where money wasn't such an object, I'd spend some money on Boruc, Vargas (along with the time machine to get him out of Fior's clutches) and last - but ABSOLUTELY NOT LEAST - Zapata.

Why does everyone on this forum make a big deal about Zapata? Because he's the best young CB in Serie A. Just look at the Milan-Udinese highlights as an example of his prowess. UNBREAKABLE!

I am 99.9% certain that Milan won't make another move this season. An I am not disappointed with the moves this team has made. But I just feel compelled to state that this team is definately not a favorite to win the Scudetto next year. I hate to say this but, Inter's winning again next year.

[rt9]

I think Galliani played his cards quite well. Our needs were: a lone striker/target man and a creative playmaker to take the pressure (and playing time) off Seedorf. Now, we can't get 2 big name players, so what he did was to get Boriello back and then push for Dinho--if Dinho came (as he did) then case closed, all our needs were addressed. If he didnt, then we may have opted for an established striker---Adebayor, Drogba, ?Gomez and then sold Boriello to Roma.

Overall, I'm quite satisfied with this mercato, although it must be said that getting the Ronaldinho of 2006 would have been a hell of a coup, but getting the Ronaldinho of 2008 really wasnt much of a coup. If any other so-called big club offered more money, he may very well have ended up there. Now let's just hope Seedorf gives up his number...:)

[Giancarlo]

I hate to be the wet blanket, but I seriously don't think that Milan will win the Scudetto next season. Don't get me wrong, I applaud all the moves mgmt have done. But there were a LOT of holes on this team that needed to be filled which couldn't be filled in just one offseason. Yes this team reinforced the midfield with Flamini - a TRUE world class player IMO. Yes this team has vastly improved wing play with Zambrotta. And the attack - which was probably our biggest shortcoming last year - has obviously been improved with Dinho (I am one who believes he will return to at least some level of world class greatness) and Borriello (who I think is unfairly criticized on this forum.)

But let's face it. Out defense is not something to brag about. This team is coming off a season that already had an inarguably OLD defense, and simply replaced an old Cafu for a not-young Zambrotta. Maldini will only regress further, Kaladze will be viable (and probably a first teamer), but not someone who you'd call a brick wall. In fact, the only player I see stepping up on defense is Bonera, who potentially will switch time with Oddo (not world class) at RB.

This team should definately make CL next season, but If I could have complete control of this team, where money wasn't such an object, I'd spend some money on Boruc, Vargas (along with the time machine to get him out of Fior's clutches) and last - but ABSOLUTELY NOT LEAST - Zapata.

Why does everyone on this forum make a big deal about Zapata? Because he's the best young CB in Serie A. Just look at the Milan-Udinese highlights as an example of his prowess. UNBREAKABLE!

I am 99.9% certain that Milan won't make another move this season. An I am not disappointed with the moves this team has made. But I just feel compelled to state that this team is definately not a favorite to win the Scudetto next year. I hate to say this but, Inter's winning again next year.

You have some good points. But it depends more on this... if Milan focuses on the UEFA Cup and try to get that, it'll be harder to win the Scudetto. If we focus on the Scudetto, I'm sure we will win it.

I like Zapata no doubt and would love to see him playing in Milan.

Inter will not be winning I don't think. They had many shortcomings towards the end of the year, and their team has many deficiencies. They haven't made the correct market moves to correct it. And lets face it, it was our team that literally destroyed them defensively.

It's best to back the team to win the Scudetto... I think our defense will do better and I think Zambrotta can provide strong defense.

[hitmannq8]

http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=782807

who is this bloodclaut? Kaka is not leaving but when he says things like that it definitely causes waves in the news

[nestaran_kaka]

forza milano..forza milano..come on red and black. :5schal:

[remote2book]

wtf is up with these kaka wanting to go to chelsea rumors?

[regin]

http://www.goal.com/en-india/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=783007

[Siregar]

With average GK and not-so-good pefromance from Kaladze plus very bad defending from Janku against big club especially, I do worry. With R10 coming, Milan will be more offensive. So, I hope goals will come more that can eliminate our conceded goals to win the games and still hope the wins can improve the players' mentality which can make them play solidly.

[Kaka1899]

Kaka's spokesman has reacted to the sensational news that Chelsea are preparing a record-breaking €100 million offer for the Brazilian star with an equally sensational claim that he is ready to accept the offer.

Diogo Kotscho, a man who has also been described as Kaka's personal assistant or advisor, has given Rossoneri fans real cause for concern by saying that all is lined up for Kaka to leave the San Siro for Stamford Bridge, not least of all his boss's intent.

"Real Madrid offered 90 million euros (£71million) last summer and Milan did not even think about the bid," Kotscho was quoted as saying by the Guardian.

"This time is different. This is the first time we feel that a deal will definitely happen.

"Because of the situation Milan are in at the moment, the deal is good for all parties involved.

"The move would represent a significant increase in Kaka's salary, on top of the 10% transfer fee that goes straight to the player anyway - some 15 million euros (£12million).

"Chelsea are the club to be at right now. They are building a team to win everything."

Despite their adamant protests throughout the summer so far - as well as this time last year when Real Madrid came calling - the powers that be at Milanmay be coaxed into selling their star player following the purchase of Ronaldinho, a ready-made replacement who they bought at a fraction of the price.

anything to worry about? lets hope not, lets hope he sees Sheva as a example of what Chelski does to you :1old:

[Warro Bantan]

With Scolari @ Chelski, every Brazilian worth anything is going to be connected to them.

Its simple really...the big transfer of the mercato has been made, so now what else do the rumor mongers have to sell?

Hmmmmm....let's see...R10 went to Milan...so maybe Kaka now wants to leave....but where would he go...who could affor....ah ha! Chelski has the money, and the coach...yup...there we go:

Kaka wants Chelsea!!

How hard was that?

Now, this rumor has at least the weekend to run before it is rubbished by Milan, Kaka, or Chelski...

But it is silly season...so expect more of the same...wait on the Pirlo to Juve, Man U, or Arsenal story coming soon to ur favourite website!

[Warro Bantan]

This article from channel4 shows a bit more responsible reporting:

http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/jul19h.html

Goal.crap is just going (as usual) for the "sensational", over common sense and researched journalisim.

[Warro Bantan]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/jul/19/premierleague.serieafootball

theGuardian is now following the pack...going as far as to say that Milan sent a delegation to London....

Anyone seen Braida or Galliani recently? :D

The perfect rumor:

Kaka miffed @ the club for not being allowd to go to the Olympics? Check

Milan out of UCL and in "financial worries"? Check

New star signing/replacement? Check

Chelski capable of record signing? Check

Would proposed transfer be a world record? Check.

Galliani was reported to have turned down this mega bid already, even allegedly doing so on Abramovitch's yacht...but ya gotta find something to sell papers over the weekend...

I am just waiting on our heated denial, and for Kaka to come out and committ to Milan.

The joys and travails of the silly season...

[_Ace]

Galliani says a "joke" and look what happens...

I really think he should stop making jokes about Milan selling their top players :D

[Hasan Rossonero]

"KAKA' E' INCEDIBILE"
19/07/2008
MILANO - In merito alle dichiarazioni pubblicate oggi dal quotidiano inglese "The Guardian", Vittorio Mentana, direttore della comunicazione rossonera, ribadisce "Kakà non è assolutamente in vendita".
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acmilan.com

Milan's director of communication states: "Kaka is unsellable".

Diogo last summer: "Kaka to Real I think will happen. It would be good for all the parties involved. He should think about it."



I must say the British media is so gullible. For example, skysports, bbc etc. actually thought that Man City were going to sign Dinho because of what Laporta said. They also uncritically reproduce what AS and Marca say. Kotschko is one of the advisers for Kaka who stands to gain a lot if he moves. He said Kaka-Real was practically done last summer until Kaka came out and said no. And why would Kaka move to Chelsea? No offence, but most top Brazilians prefer to ply their trade in Italy or Spain. And Chelsea hardly embody the attacking, exciting football they crave.

[Russo-Neri]

Let's all make a gentlemen's agreement and NOT mention the BS reports of kaka to Chelsea on this thread. Deal?

[Giancarlo]

This article from channel4 shows a bit more responsible reporting:

http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/jul19h.html

Goal.crap is just going (as usual) for the "sensational", over common sense and researched journalisim.

One thing I don't get is why goal.crap would even publish the garbage they do. Kaka was key to bring R10... and he said he wants to play with R10. Is he going to stab him in the back and take off to Chelsea?

And yes that's a far more credible source.

Remember one thing, Kaka has said he wants to bet he captain of the Rossoneri one day. Kaka sees what happened to Sheva and how he has huge regrets over leaving to Chelsea... and he treats his teammates as family...

Not only that we've sold a record amount of tickets... and I believe interest in the club will grow. No way in hell Berlusconi would allow this and he has way more money and power than that loser Abra...

Then again lets not get all upset ;) Consider the source. The British media. The same outlet that said R10 was gonna sign with Man City 100% lol.

[ACMILAN1983]

"KAKA' E' INCEDIBILE"
19/07/2008
MILANO - In merito alle dichiarazioni pubblicate oggi dal quotidiano inglese "The Guardian", Vittorio Mentana, direttore della comunicazione rossonera, ribadisce "Kakà non è assolutamente in vendita".
| |

--

acmilan.com

Milan's director of communication states: "Kaka is unsellable".

Diogo last summer: "Kaka to Real I think will happen. It would be good for all the parties involved. He should think about it."



I must say the British media is so gullible. For example, skysports, bbc etc. actually thought that Man City were going to sign Dinho because of what Laporta said. They also uncritically reproduce what AS and Marca say. Kotschko is one of the advisers for Kaka who stands to gain a lot if he moves. He said Kaka-Real was practically done last summer until Kaka came out and said no. And why would Kaka move to Chelsea? No offence, but most top Brazilians prefer to ply their trade in Italy or Spain. And Chelsea hardly embody the attacking, exciting football they crave.

Kaka has apparently said he'll return to Italy and sort things out with Milan to see what's going on (according to Setanta). To be precise, according to goal this is his quote:

“When I recover and return to Italy I will know what's going to happen, but at the moment nothing is certain.”

“There are two teams who are very interested in signing me, but now I do not want to talk about it,” said the Brazilian, before adding, “Until we return to Milan and know how things are, we cannot decide what happens with my future.”

To me, that sounds like he's unsure what's going on altogether, simply recovering from injury (according to Guardian he apparently publicly declared not being tired, this suggests he's not even fit). If I was in Kaka's shoes, if I'm quietly recovering from an operation and suddenly hear that Milan might sell me due to financial problems, I would probably have the same reaction. He mentions two teams are interested in signing him, but the way he dismisses it suggests he's more concerned about getting to Milan and dealing there first.

Milan's reaction was quick and clear, we're not prepared to negotiate for Kaka. This is quite a clear statement, rejecting any sort of claim we're prepared to negiotiate. Kaka's comments came before these, thus it's fair to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe that he wasn't aware of the club's stance at the time he made the comments (thus he wasn't sure if Milan would negotiate his sale).

Another factor to consider is the statements made prior to today's, such as Galliani clearly saying we'd keep our stars, and that he stopped any negotiations with Chelsea before they even began, irrespective of whether the offer was £80m as reported.

My one and only doubt is Diogo Kotscho, who is the one making the initial comments (which as you state he did last year). I question his motives.

[oceanofemotion]

Hi everybody...

I had some points I would love to say...

first of all Ronaldinho is very talented player no doubt about that...

Is he motivated??? I think he is.. and also he really wanted to move to Milan and only Milan and that's is a great thing..and he is not only an addition the team but also to serie a.

If he starts to show his true color, opponents will have a very hard time bcos he has the attacking attitude like kaka and has the play making capabilities of Pirlo. at that time Kaka and Pirlo will be freer on the pitch.

Regarding the MGT transfer policy: I believe we should remember that it is very difficult to satisfy every fan and at the same time keep our stars.

the MGT could've sold Pirlo or Gattuso or Kaka and bring many other player but the balance here is so critical.

Milan could let Inzaghi go for example and bring let say drogba or Gomez.

at the end we should admire the management 4 keeping the backbone of the squad ( Pirlo, Nesta, Gattuso, Kaka, Inzaghi) for the last 4 or 5 years.

Regarding the scudetto, I think that Inter will suffer very very very much in order to get it. Mourinho is not a guarantee. Italian football is the most tactical in the world so he will be having a lot of competition and tough times against Carletto, spaletti, Brindelli and maybe ranieri.

Inter almost always proved that they crack under pressure so it's time to prove me wrong.

Galliani LOVEs Milan he really do and I'm afraid he will die in the stands cheering 4 his beloved thing called AC Milan.

we all love AC Milan (except TONY lol) and we should have some faith and understanding.

Thanx alot

[sujoyks]

Hi guys. I'm a 19yr old milan fan:rone:. I was introduced to milan as a kid by my uncle in calcutta(india) when i was around 10. I've been a milan and italy(a little later) supporter since and have followed them as closely as the pathetic coverage of serie a in india would allow me to. I'm doing my engineering studies and have had exams and things but followed these forums all summer. Thank you all for covering the summer so well although i do think we can be a little more peaceful and less repetitive:p3129::p231:. Thank you all.
We've had a pretty good transfer season and the management seems to have covered a lot of gaps. Kudos to Galliani this time around but i did hate him so for the last 2 transfer markets. The inclusion of ronaldinho seems to me to give us so many new possibilities with regards new formations like the 4-2-3-1 that we can try in the absence of Pirlo also allowing us to rest Kaka and more importantly Seedorf. Since coverage of anything other than the EPL is so poor here it has been hard for me to follow all the players and all the matches other than milan ones which i can watch online and delayed telecasts of.
Could you guys please fill me up on the positions that antonini and abate play in exactly. Also i'm a little confused about antonelli. What is his position and where is he now? I'm pretty sure he has not much to do with milan's plans.
Erm.. thats a long post. Hope to participate more on this forum and for more healthy discussions here.:respect::3band:

[SANT]

welcome to MM sujoyks...

you are victim of a confusion many have had... we didn't get Antonelli, but Antonini... he's a player who covers the same positions Serginho used to cover... left back, left midfield... even could be a left wing... Abate is more of a Seedorf kind of player, although he's listed as defender... he's a midfielder with good presence in attack... he may be loaned out before transfer season is over.

[sujoyks]

Oh the smilies should have been the other way around :p231::p3129:

Also correct me if i go wrong here

GK:Kalac,Dida,Abbiatti

CD: Nesta,Bonera,Kaladze,Maldini

RB:Zambrotta,Oddo,Bonera,Flamini(?)

LB:Zambrotta,Jankulovski,Antonini,Maldini,Favalli

CM:Pirlo,Flamini,Brochi,Ambrossini

DM:Gattuso,Ambrossini,Flamini,Emerson,Brocchi

MF Others:**
LM(not wingers):Seedorf,Pirlo,Antonini,Abate
RM(not wingers):Flamini,Seedorf,Brocchi,Gattuso,Gourcuff(loaned)
RW:Gourcuff(loaned),Kaka
LW:Ronaldinho,Abate,Kaka(?),Antonini
(XW not necessarily pure wingers but can play wide)
}

AM:Kaka,Ronaldinho,Seedorf

2nd Striker:Pato,Kaka,Ronaldinho,Paloschi

1st Striker:Boriello,Inzaghi,Pato(potentially),Paloschi


When i say LM or RM i dont mean they'll play out wide just that they can also play a little off centre. we do attack throught the centre mostly.

[Hasan Rossonero]

Milan "rejected Chelsea's Kaka bid"
Saturday 19 July, 2008
Adriano Galliani confirms Chelsea made a massive offer for Kaka, but assures “he’s not going anywhere.”

The Guardian reported today that the Stamford Bridge side had proposed a record-breaking £80m to tempt the Brazilian away.

“It’s true that Chelsea made a conspicuous offer, but I will not say how much it was,” the general manager told journalists this evening.

“It is equally true that we said no. President Silvio Berlusconi rejected the chance to sell Kaka, just as he told Real Madrid no in 2001 for Andriy Shevchenko.”

Although Sheva eventually did leave to join Chelsea for £30m, the decision to part company was made only after the Ukrainian requested the transfer.

“Kaka is going nowhere and neither is Clarence Seedorf,” added Galliani. “The fans can sleep easy.”

Despite reports in Spain and England, Kaka seems to be settled at Milan and looking forward to the new season with Ronaldinho and Alexandre Pato.

Galliani also revealed another bid that failed to materialise over the summer for Fiorentina goalkeeper Sebastien Frey.

“We requested Frey, but the response was such a high figure that we gave up.”

--

channel4

[Milano84]

so frey and boruc too expensive? what do they think? top gks come free? I just hate when he makes comments like this, why cant he say frey is a geat gk, someone were interested in.... or just shut up.
eitherway the positive to take is, its been realized we NEED a new gk

[Giancarlo]

so frey and boruc too expensive? what do they think? top gks come free? I just hate when he makes comments like this, why cant he say frey is a geat gk, someone were interested in.... or just shut up.
eitherway the positive to take is, its been realized we NEED a new gk

We gotta work with what we have. Milan spent more on Ronaldinho, and focused on the attack... but when it comes to goalkeeping we'd have to just get Abbiati as it is. You can't say he didn't try. Milan did put a bid in an offer for Frey, but Frey didn't want to leave.

Edit: Not saying that Abbiati isn't a good goalkeeper. It's my opinion he's a fine keeper... better than the other two.

[drucurl]

so frey and boruc too expensive? what do they think? top gks come free? I just hate when he makes comments like this, why cant he say frey is a geat gk, someone were interested in.... or just shut up.
eitherway the positive to take is, its been realized we NEED a new gk that's for Frey himself to work on Fiorentina's management and beg them to lower his price.....statements like these are dishonourable imho but VERY effective

[Milano84]

We gotta work with what we have. Milan spent more on Ronaldinho, and focused on the attack... but when it comes to goalkeeping we'd have to just get Abbiati as it is. You can't say he didn't try. Milan did put a bid in an offer for Frey, but Frey didn't want to leave.

Edit: Not saying that Abbiati isn't a good goalkeeper. It's my opinion he's a fine keeper... better than the other two.

milan has spent less than it sold. in my opinion its insulting to all milan fans after such a terrible season. i realize money doesnt garentee results, but there are still gaping holes petilcularly on defense. "we focused on attack" ??? wtf does that mean. is it impossible for us to buy both offensive and defensive players in a single mercato?

I'm not sold on antonini as a FB, but i'll give him a shot. In my opinion though, we had serginho, a player who was 1 of best left side players of his generation, and now we got a player who cant even get an azzuri cap. Perhaps i'm wrong, and i hope to god he turns out to be great, but those are the facts. CB- i suppose we'll deal w/ next year when maldini retires. Thats fine. But a top GK is IMPERATIVE.

[Giancarlo]

milan has spent less than it sold. in my opinion its insulting to all milan fans after such a terrible season. i realize money doesnt garentee results, but there are still gaping holes petilcularly on defense. "we focused on attack" ??? wtf does that mean. is it impossible for us to buy both offensive and defensive players in a single mercato?

I'm not sold on antonini as a FB, but i'll give him a shot. In my opinion though, we had serginho, a player who was 1 of best left side players of his generation, and now we got a player who cant even get an azzuri cap. Perhaps i'm wrong, and i hope to god he turns out to be great, but those are the facts. CB- i suppose we'll deal w/ next year when maldini retires. Thats fine. But a top GK is IMPERATIVE.

i don't want to get in trouble again. So I can't respond to that first part I originally wanted.

All I'll say is if you look at it we spent just about the amount we made from player sales. We can't fix everything and for the most part I see our defense as excellent and backed up. I also see that we had an option either to buy more defensive players or offensive players...

This mercato has been a resounding success.

As far as Antonini, there is quite a bit of competition for his position in the national team, and generally players in that position get better when they get older. Antonini is quite young to be a FB. He needs to prove himself however in Milan and he has not yet done that.

We have a top keeper in Abbiati.

All I'll say is I'm very happy with the way this mercato has went, and I think the management has done all the appropriate changes and fixes. I'd like to see some players sold (Brocchi, Simic in particular)... perhaps if we sold these two players we could make any further changes.

Edit: BTw, there are many great players that don't get capped by their national teams.

[Tony29.]

milan has spent less than it sold.
I'll try to make a list, although i don't know how successive it will be because i don't know the wages of some of the newcomers.
This first list will show us how much money Milan earned from the sold players and how much Milan were paying to these players last year.
The second list will show us how much Milan payed for new players and how much you'll be paying for their salaries this season.

Sold players :
Gilardino 14m eur (his wages were 3.5m)
Oliveira 10m eur (wages=o eur)
Grimi 2.5m eur (wages= 0 eur)
Gourcuf 0 eur (wages=1m eur)
Ronaldo 0 eur (wages=4m eur)
Cafu 0 eur (wages=2m)
Serginho 0 eur (wages=2m)
Storari 0 eur (wages=0 eur)

So, Milan earned ~26.5m from the sold players. These players were earning a total of 12.5m eur.

Bought players
Ronaldinho 21m eur (wages=6.5m eur)
Borriello 10m eur (wages = ?)
Zambrotta 9m eur (wages= 4m eur)
Flamini 0 eur (wages= 5.6m eur)
Abate 0 eur (wages=?)
Antonini 0 eur (wages=?)
Abiatti 0 eur (wages=?)

Milan payed 40m eur for the new players and, assuming that Borriello will earn 2m eur while Abate, Antonini and Abiatti 1m each, you'll be paying 21.1m eur.

In total : Milan are in a minus of ~13.5m eur for the bought players and ~8.6m eur for the wages (not counting the taxes. With taxes counted, Milan will have to pay ~17m eur more for wages this year).

P.S: I used wikipedia for the info about this year's transfers and their wages.

[Giancarlo]

Thanks tony... that's very informative... I hope we do sell Brocchi and Simic to make up the gap to a certain extent. Either way not all that bad. :)

[Tony29.]

Thanks tony... that's very informative... I hope we do sell Brocchi and Simic to make up the gap to a certain extent. Either way not all that bad. :)
It's not bad at all.
You'll be paying 13.5m eur from the transfer kitty and around 17m eur more for wages.
So, for "only" 30.5m eur, Milan managed to strenghten the team a lot.

If you manage to sell Brocchi and Simic then not only you'll earn some 5-6 millions from their sales but you'll cut the 3.3m eur (6.6m adding taxes) you pay for their salaries (1.8m eur for Simic and 1.5m eur for Brocchi)

5m for their sales+6.6m for their wages = 11.6m eur.

Then we can say that for "only" 19m eur Milan are 3 times stronger than last year.

[DUCO]

We need Brochi for midl. Simic can sell we have to many defenders